Journal «Angiology and Vascular Surgery» • 

2001 • VOLUME 7 • №2

MAGNETIC RESONANCE ANGIOGRAPHY FOR DIAGNOSIS AND SURGERY OF ABDOMINAL AORTA AND LOWER LIMB ARTERIES

V.E. Sinitsyn, S.A. Dadvani, E.A. Mershina, E.G. Artiukhina, E.S. Belysheva
I.M. Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy, Russian Cardiological Research Center,
Moscow, Russia

162 patients underwent magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), including 25 healthy volunteers, 25 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm, 67 patients with obliterative lesions of lower limb arteries (LLA), 9 – with complications of angiography or endovascular interventions, and 36 – with postoperative complications. MRA was performed with a 1.5 T systems (Magnetom SP63, Siemens AG, Germany [n-138] and Sigma Horizon, GE, USA [n-24]) with superconductor magnet by to time-of-flight (TOF) and gadolinium-enhanced (GE) contrast imaging. Comparative analysis of MRA and conventional contrast angiography (CCA) results showed that MRA sensitivity varied from 63 to 97%, specificity – from 98% to 100%. For hemodynamically pronounced lesions (occlusions and stenoses) MRA sensitivity was 92%, specificity – 96%. One of study objectives was to demonstrate that preoperative CCA can be avoided and the decision making for surgical interventions (including repetitive) can base solely on MRA data. Given the high MRA resolution we consider it to be able to replace CCA in surgical planning. Operations without preoperative CCA were undertaken in 34 patients. In all cases initial findings were proved by surgical revision and no complications related to wrong planning occurred. Further improvement of non-invasive diagnostic methods (including MRA) will enable to refuse from or significantly cut down the use of CCA for abdominal aorta and lower limb arterial surgery planning.

KEY WORDS: magnetic resonance angiography, diseases of lower limb arteries, abdominal aortic aneurysm.

P. 23-33

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