Simultaneous Gadolinium-free MR Angiography, Venography and Relaxometry using a fast 3D MR-STAT protocol

Motivation: MR-STAT offers fast k-space acquisition, from which T1, T2 and PD maps can be reconstructed, enabling both quantitative analyses and contrast-weighted image synthesis from a single short scan. We assessed the potential to derive gadolinium-free whole-brain MR Angiography and MR Venography from the same short acquisition. Goal(s): To investigate the potential of MR-STAT to also perform gadolinium-free MRA/MRV at no additional scan time. Approach: We visually assessed anatomical landmarks in MR-STAT MRA/MRV and compared MR-STAT MRA/MRV to contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. Results: Enhancing arteries and veins in conventional T1-weighted images consistently correlated with, respectively, the PD-based MRA and R2-based MRV from gadolinium-free MR-STAT. Impact: In addition to fast, high-resolution multiparametric mapping, MR-STAT offers gadolinium-free MRA and MRV without the need of additional scan time, reducing the burden of contrast injections and dispensing with environmentally harmful and expensive gadolinium-based contrast agents.