COMPARISON OF MAGNETIC-RESONANCE ANGIOGRAPHY AND CONTRAST ARTERIOGRAPHY IN PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL-STENOSIS

Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has recently been shown to be mor e sensitive than contrast arteriography in the detection of patent dis tal runoff vessels. This study compares MRA and contrast arteriography in evaluating the severity of stenotic lesions in peripheral arteries , which has not been previously investigated. Forty-eight arterial ste noses (19 patients) were identified, from the distal aorta through the crural vessels. Contrast arteriograms (anterioposterior projection) a nd MRA axial images were used to measure stenoses. Interobserver agree ment of arteriogram readings was excellent (average weighted kappa = 0 .87). Measurements of degree of stenosis as evaluated by MRA and contr ast arteriography were analyzed by linear regression and Spearman rank correlation, which showed a high degree of correlation between the tw o diagnostic modalities (r = 0.83, p <0.001; r(s) = 0.84, p <0.001). T hese observations suggest that MRA is accurate in the evaluation of pe ripheral arterial stenosis when compared with the ''gold standard'' co ntrast arteriogram. In addition, MRA cross-sectional images provide in formation beyond that of conventional arteriography, showing details o f plaque eccentricity and vessel wall characteristics. In the future, MRA may supplant diagnostic contrast arteriography for many patients.