MR angiography of the carotid bifurcation: artifacts and limitations

Although conventional angiography has traditionally been the preoperative study of choice before carotid endarterectomy, alternative noninvasive methods, particularly MR angiography, are being used increasingly for evaluation of the carotid bifurcation [1, 2]. In this essay, we illustrate the limitations of and artifacts associated with two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography vs conventional angiography when assessing disease of the carotid bifurcation.