Accelerated aortic plaque imaging using small field of view imaging and quadruple inversion recovery magnetization preparation

Introduction Autopsy data has demonstrated that the abdominal aorta offers a valuable early window for the study of atherosclerosis. Current MRI strategies often suffer from long scan times or require slice gaps. We sought to implement a small field-of-view approach (zoom imaging) (Buecker, A. et al, 1998), to allow complete coverage of the thoracic and abdominal aorta. To improve blood signal nulling before and after contrast administration for identical imaging parameters, we combined zoom imaging with a quadruple inversion recovery (QIR) pre-pulse (Yarnykh, V. et al, 2002). Purpose To demonstrate the feasibility of the novel zoom QIR technique for plaque imaging in the abdominal aorta.