The advantages of MRI and MRA for diagnosing Behcet's disease and internaljugular vein thrombosis

Behcet's disease is a multisystem disorder characterized by recurrent aphto us ulcers of mucosal membranes, skin lesions, and vasculitis. The prevalenc e of vascular involvement is about 25% and this is the leading cause of dea th in Behcet's disease. Jugular vein involvement is an unusual manifestatio n of Behcet's disease. Medical insertion of needles into veins or arteries can induce thrombosis or aneurysms. Thus, diagnostic studies or therapy can aggravate the disease and even be fatal. We report a patient with Behcet's disease and ran internal jugular vein thrombosis. We also demonstrate the ability of noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance an giography to aid in the diagnosis and evaluation of vascular involvement in Behcet's disease, without risking iatrogenic complications. (C) 2000 Elsev ier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.