Intraplaque haemorrhage mimicking carotid pseudoaneurysm on magnetic resonance angiography.
Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) is a commonly used technique to assess the extracranial carotid arteries. We describe two patients (investigated for carotid artery atherosclerotic disease) who underwent CE-MRA. Results suggested pseudoaneurysms of the extracranial carotid arteries. Magnetic resonance direct thrombus imaging (MRDTI) showed that the appearances were due to intraplaque haemorrhage adjacent to the vessel, with the T1-shortening effect of methaemoglobin within the intraplaque haemorrhage mimicking blood flow on the CE-MRA sequence. The cases presented demonstrate this diagnostic pitfall and illustrate the contribution of simple magnetic resonance plaque imaging to establishing the correct diagnosis.
Goode
S
S
Department of Academic Radiology, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. msxsg@nottingham.ac.uk
Altaf
N
N
Dineen
R A
RA
Krishnan
S
S
Auer
D
D
D000368:Aged; D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002339:Carotid Arteries; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male
D003287:Contrast Media