Fast 3D wheel acquisition versus conventional parallel imaging in cerebral magnetic resonance angiography for the evaluation of intracranial aneurysms: Original Article

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Fast 3D wheel (Fast 3Dw) technique in cerebral magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and compare it with the conventional parallel imaging (PI) technique. The primary objective was to determine whether Fast 3Dw could reduce the examination time while maintaining image quality and diagnostic accuracy in patients with cerebral aneurysms. Methods: This retrospective study included 50 patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms who underwent 3D time-of-flight MRA using either PI or Fast 3Dw techniques on a 3T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The image quality was quantitatively assessed using the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), aneurysm diameter, and vessel diameter. Qualitative image assessments included vascular clarity, artifacts, and diagnostic confidence level and were evaluated using a 5-point scale. Statistical comparisons were performed using t-tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and weighted kappa statistics. Results: The mean examination time for Fast 3Dw (171.5 ± 4.9 s) was significantly shorter than that for PI (383.8 ± 13.2 s; p < 0.05). Fast 3Dw exhibited a significantly higher SNR (50.0 ± 14.2) than PI (46.6 ± 12.9; p < 0.05), while CNR showed no significant difference between the two techniques. No significant differences in aneurysm diameters and vessel diameters were observed between the two methods. Qualitative evaluations demonstrated no significant differences in vascular clarity, artifacts, and diagnostic confidence levels between the two methods. Conclusion: The Fast 3Dw technique significantly reduces examination time while maintaining image quality and diagnostic accuracy in cerebral MRA compared to PI. This method may be a viable alternative for routine cerebral MRA in clinical practice.