MR angiography in children with cerebral neurovascular diseases: findings in 31 cases.

Abstract

We evaluated the suitability of MR angiography for routine use in children with suspected intracranial vascular disease. Thirty-one children, 6 months to 14 years old, with intracranial lesions or clinically suspected vascular malformations were studied prospectively with conventional MR imaging and time-of-flight MR angiography. In nine cases, MR angiographic findings were verified with digital subtraction angiography or conventional angiography. All MR studies were performed on a 1.5-T MR system using a circularly polarized head coil. Arterial MR angiography, performed in 24 cases, revealed congenital abnormalities of the arterial vessels in 20 cases. Vessel stenosis was observed in nine patients, and displacement of intracranial arteries due to tumors could be seen in 10 patients. Seven children had no abnormal findings. Venous MR angiography was performed in seven children, with depiction of sinus thrombosis in six cases. The comparative analysis of MR angiography and digital subtraction angiography showed equivalent results in nine patients; in one patient the degree of stenosis was overestimated with MR angiography. MR angiography, when combined with MR imaging, reveals information about soft-tissue and vascular structures in a single setting. At this point, MR angiography can replace invasive conventional angiography or digital subtraction angiography only in selected cases because of software and hardware limitations. Arterial or venous MR angiography can be helpful as an additional scan in MR examinations of children with suspected cerebral neurovascular diseases, and its noninvasive nature makes it well suited for routine use in children.