ROLE OF MR-IMAGING IN THE PREOPERATIVE EVALUATION OF ATHEROSCLEROTIC ABDOMINAL AORTIC-ANEURYSMS

A prospective study was performed on 69 patients with an atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm to assess the preoperative value of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging compared with that of angiography and ultrasound (US). The results of MR imaging, angiography, and US were separately interpreted by one observer independently, without knowledge of the results from the other imaging modalities. The individual radiologic report from each imaging modality was compared with surgical findings, which served as a standard of reference. Both T1-weighted spin-echo (1.5-T) and gradient-echo sequences with three-dimensional maximum intensity projections of the renal arteries were used. In the assessment of the extent of the aneurysm, MR and angiographic findings were equal. In 92% of the patients, MR imaging helped identify the correct number of renal arteries. MR imaging is better than angiography because it provides important additional information, it is an outpatient procedure, and the complications are few.