Upper extremity non-contrast magnetic resonance venography (MRV) compared to contrast enhanced MRV and ultrasound

Purpose: To assess feasibility, image quality and measured venous caliber of non-contrast MRV (NC-MRV) of central and upper extremity veins, compared to contrast-enhanced MRV (CE-MRV) and ultrasound (US) in healthy volunteers. Materials and methods: 10 subjects underwent NC-MRV and CE-MRV at 1.5 T, with comparison to US. Two radiologists evaluated MRI for image quality (IQ) and venous caliber. Results and conclusions: NC-MRV is feasible, with inferior IQ but comparable venous caliber measurements CEMRV (mean 7.9 +/- 4.58 mm vs. 7.83 +/- 4.62, p = 0.13). Slightly larger upper limb caliber measurements were derived for NC-MRV and CE-MRV compared to US (NC-MRV 5.2 +/- 1.8 mm, CE-MRV 4.9 +/- 1.6 mm, US 4.5 +/- 1.8 mm, both p < 0.001). (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.