Contrast-enhanced three-dimensional MR angiography in the assessment of subclavian artery diseases

The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the potential diagnostic value of 3D breath-hold contrast-enhanced MRA (CEMRA) in the evaluation of subclavian artery pathology, and to compare CEMRA and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) findings. The study group included 50 patients with suspicion of subclavian artery pathology: 40 suspected steno-occlusive disease and 10 different vascular anomalies. The MRA examinations were performed on a 1.5-T system using fast 3D sequences. A fixed dose of 40 mi Gd-DTPA was administered at 2 m/ls after previous bolus tracking. Images were analyzed to assess: subclavian depiction; luminal changes; collateral branches; and feeders of arterial venous malformations (AVM). A multireader blinded fashion was used. The CEMRA revealed an optimal agreement with DSA findings in the different types of diseases. Sensitivity and specificity were 90 and respectively, in detecting steno-occlusive dis(including functional and arteritic stenoses), and 100 and 100%, respectively, in cases of Vascular anomalies (dilation, kinking, anomalous origin and AVM). Contrast-enhanced MRA can be proposed as a non-invasive, robust technique for imaging subclavian pathologies with high diagnostic performance.