Skip to main content
Log in

Magnetic resonance angiography of intracranial aneurysms: comparison with intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography

  • Diagnostic Neuroradiology
  • Published:
Neuroradiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) with flow rephased gradient-echo sequences is a new non-invasive method for vascular imaging. We compared MRA and intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography in 18 patients with intracranial aneurysms to test whether MRA presently provides an alternative to cerebral angiography for the diagnosis of these anomalies. MRA showed 19 of the 22 aneurysms detected (86.4%). However, problems, especially with turbulent or slow flow, resulted in 6 studies (27.3%) with limited and 2 with questionable demonstration of an aneurysm, and 1 false negative study. At present, MRA is definitely inferior to angiography for the demonstration of intracranial aneurysms, due to its lower resolution and other limitations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lenz GW, Haacke EM, Masaryk TJ, Laub G (1988) In-plane vascular imaging: pulse sequence design and strategy. Radiology 166: 875–882

    Google Scholar 

  2. Laub G, Kaiser W (1988) MR angiography with gradient motion refocussing. J Comput Assist Tomogr 12: 377–382

    Google Scholar 

  3. Ruggieri PM, Laub G, Masaryk TM, Modic MT (1989) Intracranial circulation: pulse-sequence considerations in three-dimensional MR-angiography. Radiology 171: 785–791

    Google Scholar 

  4. Masaryk TM, Modic MT, Ross JS, Ruggieri PM, Laub G, Lenz GW, Haacke EM, Selman WR, Harik SI (1989) Intracranial circulation: preliminary results with three-dimensional (volume) MR angiography. Radiology 171:801–806

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ross JS, Masaryk TM, Modic MT, Ruggieri PM, Haacke EM, Selman WR (1990) Intracranial aneurysms: evaluation by MR angiography. AJR 155: 159–166

    Google Scholar 

  6. Sevick RJ, Tsuruda JS, Schmalbrock P (1990) Three-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography in the evaluation of cerebral aneurysms. J Comput Assist Tomogr 14:874–881

    Google Scholar 

  7. Huber P (1979) Zerebrale Angiographie für Klinik und Praxis, 3rd edn. Thieme, Stuttgart

    Google Scholar 

  8. Olsen WL, Brant-Zawadzki M, Hodes J, Norman D, Newton TH (1987) Giant intracranial aneurysms: MR imaging. Radiology 163: 431–435

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schuierer, G., Huk, W.J. & Laub, G. Magnetic resonance angiography of intracranial aneurysms: comparison with intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography. Neuroradiology 35, 50–54 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00588279

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00588279

Key words

Navigation