title: Magnetic resonance angiography in perforator flap breast reconstruction.
abstract: Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is an extremely useful preoperative imaging test for evaluation of the vasculature of donor tissue to be used in autologous breast reconstruction. MRA has sufficient spacial resolution to reliably visualize 1 mm perforating vessels and to accurately locate vessels in reference to a patient's anatomic landmarks without exposing patients to ionizing radiation or iodinated contrast. The use of a blood pool contrast agent and the lack of radiation exposure allow multiple studies of multiple anatomic regions in one examination. The following article is a detailed description of our MRA protocol developed with our radiologists with examples that illustrate the utility of MRA in perforator flap breast reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: 1 Northern Westchester Hospital Center, Mt. Kisco, NY, USA ; 2 New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY, USA ; 3 Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Julie V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Vasile
authors.affiliation: 1 Northern Westchester Hospital Center, Mt. Kisco, NY, USA ; 2 New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY, USA ; 3 Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Levine
keywords: Perforator flap breast reconstruction; deep circumflex iliac perforator flap (DCIP); deep inferior epigastric perforators (DIEP); gluteal artery perforator (GAP); imaging; lumbar artery perforator (LAP); magnetic resonance angiography (MRA); profunda artery perforator (PAP); septocutaneous tensor fasciae latae (scTFL); superficial inferior epigastric artery (SIEA); thoracodorsal artery perforator (TDAP)