MR Venography Ivan Pedrosa, M.D. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School Boston, MA
Apr 01, 2015
MR Venography
Ivan Pedrosa, M.D.Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Why MR Imaging?
• Conventional venographyConventional venography
– Multiple injectionsMultiple injections– I.V. access in affected edematous extremityI.V. access in affected edematous extremity– Radiation / iodinated contrastRadiation / iodinated contrast
• USUS
– Limited in central veinsLimited in central veins– Limited FOV and anatomic landmarksLimited FOV and anatomic landmarks
Why MR Imaging?
• CTCT
– RadiationRadiation– Iodinated contrastIodinated contrast– Pitfalls due to poor opacification / Pitfalls due to poor opacification /
mixing artifactsmixing artifacts
• Nephrogenic Systemic Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF)Fibrosis (NSF)– Increased indications for non-contrast Increased indications for non-contrast
MRVMRV
MRV
• TechniquesTechniques
– Dark Blood ImagingDark Blood Imaging– Bright Blood ImagingBright Blood Imaging– Gd-enhanced MRVGd-enhanced MRV
• Clinical ApplicationsClinical Applications
– ChestChest– AbdomenAbdomen– PelvisPelvis
MRV techniques
Non-contrast MRVNon-contrast MRVDark blood SequencesDark blood Sequences Bright blood SequencesBright blood Sequences
Double IR Spin echo TOF
Double IR SSFSE GRE (Cine)
Dynamic SSFSE FIESTA (Cine)
Phase Contrast
Gd-enhanced MRVGd-enhanced MRV
3D FS T1-W GRE (VIBE, LAVA, THRIVE)
Spin Echo (“dark blood”)
180º
90º 90º
180º
HAlf-Fourier Single shot Turbo Spin Echo (HASTE or SSFSE)
SSFSE/HASTE
• One second to collect the whole image
• Dark blood• Protons exit slice
• Slow flow - ↑↑ SI• Thrombus - ↓↑ SI
K space
90º
180º
Dynamic HASTE
• Intravascular
signal void
VALSALVA
• Valsalva– intrathoracic P– Venous return
• T2 of blood is long
• Valsalva– intrathoracic P– Venous return
• T2 of blood is long
Dynamic HASTE VALSALVA
DB HASTE (“dark blood”)
90º
180º 180º
TI
180º 180º
TI
Double IR T1 FSE
IR-T1W Cardiac-gated IR-HASTE
1 slice (~16 sec) breath-hold ~20 slices ( sec) breath-hold
2 slices with ASSET
Bright blood Sequences
• TOF• GRE (Cine)• FIESTA (Cine)• Phase Contrast
Time-of-Flight (TOF)
Time-of-Flight (TOF)
Time-of-Flight (TOF)
Time-of-Flight (TOF)
Time-of-Flight (TOF)
Time-of-Flight (TOF)
Time-of-Flight (TOF)
Time-of-Flight (TOF)
TOF
TOF optimization for slow flow
TOF: in-plane saturation
Axial acquisitionSagittal SagittalGad-MRV
TOF optimization for slow flow
• Slice perpendicular to vessel of interest
• Decrease slice thickness
• Cardiac gating?
ECG ECG TracingTracing
Blood flow Blood flow (Pulse (Pulse Oximeter)Oximeter)
Systole (arterial)
True FISP / FIESTA / Balanced FFE
• True Fast Imaging with Steady-state Precession
• Gradients are fully balanced in order to recycle the transverse magnetization in long T2 species
• Contrast
– T2 / T1 ratio– Blood vessels are brightBlood vessels are bright (T2 of blood is )
True FISP
Pros
• Fast
– Road map
• No breathing artifacts
• Thrombus
– Filling defect SI
• Cine True FISP
– FIESTA
Cons
• Artifacts
– Pulsatile flow– Off-resonace
• Acute / subacute thrombus
True FISP
True FISP
True FISP Gd-enhanced MRV
True FISP
True FISP Gd-enhanced MRV
L
Pedrosa I. AJR 2005
Phase Contrast (PC)• 2 equal and opposite Venc gradients between the
excitation and echo.• With stationary protons, phase shifts induced by the first
gradient are reversed and canceled by the second gradient.
• In moving protons, the second gradient does not quite cancel out phase shifts induced by the first gradient
• These phase shifts are detected and proportional to the amount of motion in the direction of the encoding gradients
Phase Contrast (PC)
• Venc gradient applied in the slice (superior-inferior) direction
• In the phase (velocity) image
– Gray represents stationary background tissues
– White represents blood flowing caudally (towards feet)
– Black represents blood flowing cranially (towards head)
– The intensity of white or black represents the magnitude of velocity in the respective directions
Phase Phase ImageImage
Magnitude Magnitude ImageImage
High velocity flow High velocity flow towards the head towards the head (Ascending aorta)(Ascending aorta)
Moderate velocity Moderate velocity flow towards the head flow towards the head
(Pulmonary artery)(Pulmonary artery)
Moderate velocity Moderate velocity flow towards the feet flow towards the feet (SVC)(SVC)
High velocity flow High velocity flow towards the feet towards the feet (Descending aorta)(Descending aorta)
Phase Contrast (PC)
• If Venc is chosen to be too low, aliasing (“wrap-around artifact”) occurs when velocities exceed that value causing velocities to mimic a “lower” value
• If Venc is chosen to be too high, sensitivity to slow flow and accuracy of quantitative analysis of velocity/flow are diminished
• Venc for venous imaging?
– 40-60 cm/sec
VencVenc set to set to 140 cm/sec, 140 cm/sec, appropriate appropriate
for this for this volunteervolunteer
VencVenc set to set to 70 cm/sec, 70 cm/sec, too low for too low for
this volunteer. this volunteer. Aliasing or Aliasing or
“wrap-around” “wrap-around” results in the results in the high-velocity high-velocity flow areas of flow areas of
the aorta.the aorta.
Phase ImagesPhase Images
Phase Contrast (PC)
Venc = 40 cm/sec
Phase Contrast (PC)
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3D PC
Gadolinium-enhanced MRV
• Indirect MRV Indirect MRV
• Direct MRVDirect MRV
Indirect Venography
• I.V. access in any peripheral veinI.V. access in any peripheral vein
– Antecubital vein (Right UE)Antecubital vein (Right UE)
• GadoliniumGadolinium– Single dose (~Single dose (~20 cc) @ 2 cc/seg20 cc) @ 2 cc/seg
– Single dose (~Single dose (~20 cc) @ 0.8 cc/seg20 cc) @ 0.8 cc/seg
– 20 cc saline @ 0.8 cc/seg20 cc saline @ 0.8 cc/seg
• 3D GRE T13D GRE T1• SubtractionsSubtractions
– Venogram-like MIP reconstructionsVenogram-like MIP reconstructions
Double dose GdDouble dose GdSingle injection/dual rateSingle injection/dual rate
Timing arterial phase
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Indirect Venography
VENOUS PHASE
SUBTRACTION
- =
ARTERIALPHASE
Indirect Venography
SUBSTRACTION MIP
Direct Venography
• I.V. access in affected extremity or bilateral
• Gadolinium
– 5 cc Gd in 100 cc saline (1:20)
• Tourniquet in lower extremities
• 3D GRE T1
Li W et al. J Magn Reson Imaging 1998; 8(3): 630-3
Direct Venography
Thrombus Characterization
– Bland thrombusBland thrombus
– No enhancement– Variable SI
– Tumor thrombusTumor thrombus
–Enhancement on Gd-MRVEnhancement on Gd-MRV» Subtractions!» Absence of enhancement does NOT exclude
tumor thrombus
SI on T2-weighted imagesSI on T2-weighted images
Tumor thrombus: Intravenous leiomyomatosis
U
Staging
• Acute thrombusAcute thrombus– Enlargement of vein by intraluminal thrombusEnlargement of vein by intraluminal thrombus SI on T2-weighted imagesSI on T2-weighted images
• Vessel wallVessel wall• ThrombusThrombus
– Perivascular soft tissue edemaPerivascular soft tissue edema SI on T1-weighted images (subacute)SI on T1-weighted images (subacute)
• Chronic thrombusChronic thrombus– Vein attenuated or not visibleVein attenuated or not visible– Venous collateralsVenous collaterals– ↓↓ SI on all sequencesSI on all sequences
Acute thrombosis of the portal vein
T2W
T1W post-contrast
Paget von Schrotter syndrome or “effort” thrombosis
Chronic Thrombosis
Venous thrombosis
Is the thrombosis acute or chronic?
Do I need to anticoagulate this patient?
Acute/subacute thrombosis
brachiocephalic vein: chronic occlusion
Central catheter malfunction
Fibrin sheathFibrin sheath
Clinical Indications
SVC syndrome
Venous Access
• CCentral cathetersentral catheters
– Hemodyalisis– Chemotherapy– Parenteral nutrition– Thrombosis in first 3 months (10%)
• MRV chestMRV chest
– 15 pts with occlusion or stenosis central veins15 pts with occlusion or stenosis central veins– Venous access possible in 14 pts Venous access possible in 14 pts
Shinde TS et al. Radiology 1999;213:555-560
51 yo male with PE
Papillary carcinoma
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IVC in Renal Cell Carcinoma
Pulmonary Embolism
Isolated Iliac Vein DVT
Conclusion
• Central veins of the chestCentral veins of the chest, abdomen and , abdomen and pelvispelvis
– Limited evaluation with USLimited evaluation with US
• Whole-body venous roadmapWhole-body venous roadmap
– Vascular accessVascular access
• PregnancyPregnancy