Higher Field Vessel Wall Imaging for Intracranial Arteries with Atherosclerotic Stenosis at 5.0 T: Image Quality Evaluation Compared with 3.0 T

Motivation: To evaluate the efficacy of 5.0 T MRI for intracranial artery high-resolution vessel wall imaging (HR-VWI). Goal(s): To compare the image quality and diagnostic utility of 5.0 T HR-VWI with 3.0 T MRI in patients with atherosclerotic stenosis, hypothesizing that 5.0 T will enhance visualization. Approach: Utilize 3.0 T and 5.0 T MRI for HR-VWI in subjects, with visualization assessment of the intracranial artery walls performed by two blinded radiologists, followed by statistical analysis of quantitative metrics such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Impact: The study could enhance the diagnostic accuracy of intracranial atherosclerosis assessment, potentially leading to improved patient management and treatment outcomes through superior imaging techniques at 5.0 T MRI.