Characterization and Validation of Compressed Sensing for Time-of-Flight MRI Angiography of the Human Brain at 3T and 7T

Background: Cerebral vasculature is a key biomarker of brain health, and time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) provides noninvasive assessment of vascular anatomy. However, conventional TOF-MRA requires long scan times, increasing patient burden and susceptibility to motion artifacts. Compressed sensing (CS) offers a feasible acceleration strategy. Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate CS acceleration in TOF-MRA at 3T and 7T using automated whole-FOV vascular segmentation and semi-automatic segmentation of representative vessels. Study type: Prospective. Population: 23 healthy human participants (3T) and 8 healthy human participants (7T). Field Strength/Sequence: CS TOF-MRA (CS factors 4 and 8 at 3T; 8 at 7T) was compared against non-accelerated (CS0) TOF-MRA. Assessment: Visual comparison and vascular segmentation were performed using automated whole-FOV methods and semi-automatic segmentation of the posterior cerebral artery and anterior choroidal artery. Statistical Tests: Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), voxel count, and vessel diameter were assessed using two-tailed paired t-tests.Results: Whole-FOV CNR differed significantly across CS factors at 3T (CS0 > CS4: p < 0.001, d = 0.77; CS0 < CS8: p = 0.008, d = 0.36; CS4 < CS8: p < 0.001, d = 1.11) and 7T (CS0 < CS8: p = 0.002, d = 0.54), with semi-automatic segmentation yielding consistent findings (p < 0.01 for all comparisons). The diameter measurements for segmented vessels are also higher with high CS-factors (PCA 7T: left: p = 0.006, d = 0.93, right: p = 0.045, d = 0.43; AChA 7T: left: p < 0.001, d = 0.66, right: p = 0.009, d = 1.06; PCA 3T: p < 0.001 for all comparison d Left = 0.52 (CS0 vs. CS4), 0.56 (CS4 vs. CS8), 1.11 (CS0 vs. CS8) and d Right = 0.78 (CS0 vs. CS4), 0.57 (CS4 vs. CS8), 1.17 (CS0 vs. CS8)). Data Conclusion: CS shows promise for enhancing clinical applicability of TOF-MRA, with advantages most pronounced at 7T.