MR angiography of the thoracic aorta

The thoracic aorta can be evaluated comprehensively using MR imaging. 3D CE MR angiography, in particular, can provide angiographic and high spatial resolution images of the aorta. Diagnostic accuracy and speed can be improved by using a variety of postprocessing tools, such as MPR, MIP, and VR. MR angiography also has the ability to image blood flow quickly, especially using SSFP pulse sequences. The prudent combination of traditional black blood and bright blood techniques will adequately and accurately evaluate most diseases of the thoracic aorta. Knowledge of the salient clinical and technical concerns will optimize scanning efficiency and enable timely completion of most MR evaluations.