Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

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Abstract
To evaluate multiphasic 3D gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (3D-Gd-MRA) for detection of vascular pathology at multiple levels of the aorta and iliac arteries. In 18 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (n = 13), dissection (n = 3), or both (n = 2), multiphase 3D-Gd-MRA was performed acquiring five consecutive (6.8 seconds) 3D data sets in a single breath-hold. In each of the five time-resolved phases, vessel visibility of the abdominal aortic branches and iliac arteries was assessed. The extent of vessel involvement by the aneurysm or dissection seen on multiphase 3D-Gd-MRA was compared with standard imaging and surgical findings. Digital subtraction angiography was available for comparison in 4 cases, CT angiography in 10 cases. Due to the delayed filling of the aortic aneurysm, the proximal aortic branches and the aneurysm neck demonstrated an inversely related enhancement compared with the distal abdominal and iliac vessels (P CONCLUSIONS. Multiphase 3D-Gd-MRA is a convenient, robust, and safe technique for presurgical anatomic mapping of complex aortic aneurysms and dissections.