[Magnetic resonance angiography in the study of neoplastic cerebral pathology]

To date, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has been used in neuroradiology mainly to study vascular malformations and atherosclerotic changes of the carotid bifurcation. Our study was aimed at investigating the role of MRA with the time-of-flight technique in the study of intracranial neoplasms; a superconductive 1.5 T magnet was used, and FLASH and FISP 2D and 3D pulse sequences were acquired before and after Gd-DTPA administration. Fifty-five MRA examinations were performed. Our series consists in 32 meningiomas, 14 glial tumors, 3 hypophysis adenomas, 2 metastases, 1 NF2, 2 craniopharyngiomas, 1 lymphoma and 1 rhinopharyngeal carcinoma with intracranial involvement. In 27 patients MRA results were compared with DSA findings. The results showed high agreement relative to indirect angiographic patterns (dislocations, encasement, dural sinuses involvement) and poor accuracy in the demonstration of tumor vascularization (inflow and outflow, vascular neoformation).