Virtual MR microscopy for unruptured aneurysm.
OBJECTIVE
This study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of virtual magnetic resonance microscopy (VMRM) for the diagnosis of cerebral aneurysms.


METHODS
We reviewed 11 patients with unruptured aneurysms confirmed by angiography or surgical therapy. We evaluated the ability of VMRM to represent aneurysms and the findings of the form and neck of the aneurysms.


RESULTS
VMRM revealed 17 aneurysms, one of which was not detected by MR angiography (MRA). One suspected aneurysm by MRA was denied by VMRM. Although VMRM did not clearly demonstrate either one giant aneurysm or distal middle cerebral artery, two aneurysms in the cavernous sinus were clearly visualized by VMRM. VMRM seems to be almost equivalent to computed tomography angiography when detecting aneurysms without additional radiation exposure.


CONCLUSIONS
VMRM is found valuable not only to plan the microscopic surgical therapy, but to visualize aneurysms.
Kobayashi
N
N
Department of Radiology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-nishi, 990-9585, Yamagata, Japan. nkobayas@med.id.yamagata-u.ac.jp
Hosoya
T
T
Adachi
M
M
Haku
T
T
Yamaguchi
K
K
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000783:Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography