3T Non-Injected Phase-Contrast MRI Sequences for the Mapping of the External Carotid Branches: In Vivo Radio-Anatomical Pilot Study for Feasibility Analysis

An essential stage in head and neck microsurgical reconstruction is the choice of recipient vessels. To make relevant choices, surgeons must rely on accurate imaging techniques. The objective of the study was to examine the feasibility of Phase-Contrast sequences to conduct the pre-operative tests without injection and provide precise radio-anatomical data over the entire vessel region. The challenges were the large velocity range, the lack of contrast, and the large spatial resolution needed to image vessels below 5 mm in diameter.

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