T. Iseda et al., Poststenotic signal attenuation on 3D phase-contrast MR angiography: a useful finding in haemodynamically significant carotid artery stenosis, NEURORADIOL, 42(12), 2000, pp. 868-873
We performed blinded visual evaluation of MR angiography (MRA) films in 44
patients with unilateral carotid artery stenosis to determine whether a flo
w gap and poststenotic signal attenuation on 3 D-PC MRA were useful signs o
f severe carotid artery stenosis. Although nine patients with a flow gap al
one had Various degrees of stenosis ranging from 22.2 to 77.3 % without any
decrease in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), 13 patients with both a f
low gap and poststenotic signal attenuation had severe stenoses of 80 % or
more, with a definite decrease in baseline rCBF. The presence of both a flo
w gap and poststenotic signal attenuation on 3D-PC MRA appeared to be a rel
iable marker of severe carotid artery stenosis with a decrease in rCBF.