[MR angiography of pelvic veins and the inferior vena cava using 0.5 tesla]

The pelvic veins and/or the inferior vena cava were examined in 15 patients with pelvic vein thrombosis or retroperitoneal tumours, using phlebography or cavography and MR angiography. The latter was carried out using 0.5 Tesla with an inflow technique TR/TE 30/8 ms, flip angle 70 degrees). 3-D projection angiograms were obtained from the 2-D angiograms in the coronary plane. Image quality was generally satisfactory and the veins up to the internal iliac could be demonstrated in all cases; below this, the examination was unreliable. Comparison of the methods with reference to information of therapeutic relevance has shown that in two-thirds of all examinations (8/13) MR angiography and phlebography were of equal diagnostic value. In the presence of a renal cell carcinoma, MR angiography was unable to distinguish between thrombosis and infiltration of the vena cava.