Peripheral arterial occlusive disease: role of MR angiography

Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has recently become instrumental in the diagnosis of arterial disease in various body districts and is gaining an increasingly important role in the study of peripheral vascularisation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the reliability of MRA using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference standard.

Between November 2003 and August 2004, 30 patients with known peripheral arterial disease were studied by MRA and DSA. MRA was performed with a Philips Intera 1.5 T, with acquisitions from the coeliac trunk to the feet. For acquisitions of the feet and ankles we used unenhanced time-of-flight (TOF) sequences with a head coil. The angiographic sequence was acquired in three volumes of 40-45 cm after administration of paramagnetic contrast material.

In the patients with peripheral arterial disease, the technique provided a precise evaluation of the stenosis (mild, moderate, severe) or obstruction of the peripheral district as well as the detection of other diseases, such as stenosis of the renal arteries or aneurysms.

Total-body three-dimensional (3D) MRA allows a fast, safe, and accurate assessment of the arterial system in patients with arteriosclerosis and can be considered an alternative to DSA in the management of patients with steno-obstructive disease of the peripheral arteries.