[Inflammatory aortic arch syndrome: contrast-enhanced, three-dimensional MR angiography in stenotic lesions].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the value of contrast-enhanced, three-dimensional MR angiography for the evaluation of stenotic and occlusive vascular lesions in inflammatory aortic arch syndrome.


METHODS
14 patients with inflammatory aortic arch syndrome (giant cell arteritis: n = 8, Takayasu arteritis: n = 4, ankylosing spondylitis: n = 1 sarcoidosis: n = 1) underwent MR angiography of the aortic arch and the supra-aortic vessels (n = 15, 2 patients were examined twice) and of the abdominal aorta (n = 2). MRA was performed using a 3D-FLASH sequence (TR/TE 4.6/1.8 ms, flip angle 30 (3)) on a 1.5T system. MRA imaging was compared with the findings of DSA, which served as gold standard.


RESULTS
In a total of 467 examined vascular territories, DSA revealed 50 stenoses and 35 occlusions. All lesions were detected by MRA. In 23 segments, the degree of stenosis was overestimated by MRA. Sensitivity and specificity of MRA were 100 % and 94.3 %, positive and negative predictive values were 73.6 and 100 %, and the accuracy was 95.1 %.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite a tendency to overestimate stenoses, contrast-enhanced three-dimensional MR angiography is a valid, non-invasive technique in the assessment of inflammatory aortic arch syndrome.
Both
M
M
Klinik für Diagnostische Radiologie, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel. mboth@rad.uni-kiel.de
Reinhold-Keller
E
E
Müller-Hülsbeck
S
S
Biederer
J
J
Gross
W L
WL
Heller
M
M
Reuter
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D001015:Aortic Arch Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013625:Takayasu Arteritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging