Virtual MR angioscopy of the pulmonary artery tree.

Abstract

An optimized, contrast-enhanced 3D MR angiography sequence is combined with image postprocessing to render interior views of the pulmonary arteries. Virtual angioscopy was successfully demonstrated on both a healthy volunteer and a pulmonary embolism patient. By targeting selected pulmonary artery branches, virtual angioscopy has the potential to become a powerful adjunct to the use of reformatted sections and maximum intensity projections in the assessment of pulmonary embolism.