These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.
Pubmed for Handhelds
PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS
Search MEDLINE/PubMed
Title: Assessment of CE-MRA for the rapid detection of supra-aortic vascular disease. Author: Wright VL, Olan W, Dick B, Yu H, Alberts-Grill N, Latour LL, Baird AE. Journal: Neurology; 2005 Jul 12; 65(1):27-32. PubMed ID: 16009882. Abstract: BACKGROUND: Contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA) using a combined head and neck coil permits non-invasive imaging of the vasculature from the aortic arch through to the Circle of Willis in less than 2 minutes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of CE-MRA for the detection of vascular pathology, in particular vascular stenoses, using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the gold standard. METHODS: In a prospective study of 81 patients referred for DSA, CE-MRA and DSA studies were performed within 72 hours of each other. CE-MRA was performed on a 1.5 Tesla clinical MRI scanner using a five-channel neurovascular array (head and neck coil), with dynamic tracking of the IV gadolinium bolus. CE-MRAs and DSA films were read by two interventional neuroradiologists blinded to the clinical presentation of the patient. RESULTS: On DSA, there were 77 vascular stenoses > or =50% identified, 51 extracranial and 26 intracranial. The overall sensitivity of CE-MRA using the neurovascular array for the detection of vascular stenoses > or =50% was 57% (95% CI: 46 to 68%) with a specificity of 98% (97 to 99%). The sensitivity for the detection of extracranial vascular stenoses > or =50% was 82% (72 to 93%) with a specificity of 97% (96 to 98%). However, the sensitivity for the detection of intracranial vascular stenoses > or =50% was only 8% (0 to 18%), with a specificity of 99% (98 to 100%). CONCLUSIONS: At this stage Contrast-enhanced MR angiography using a neurovascular coil shows promise as a rapid, specific, and noninvasive screening method for extracranial vascular disease, but not for intracranial vascular disease.[Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]