Cervical aortic arch and 22q11 deletion--the role of MRI in diagnosis.

Aortic arch anomalies are relatively common, occurring in 0.5-3% of the population. In recent years, they have been recognized as being among the cardiovascular malformations found in chromosome 22q11 deletion. MRI is now an alternative method of diagnosing aortic arch anomalies since it accurately defines aortic anatomy and its relation with the trachea and esophagus, with some advantages in comparison with echocardiography and conventional angiography. The authors present two cases of cervical aortic arch and VSD associated with DiGeorge syndrome (CATCH22+), diagnosed by conventional angiography and magnetic resonance imaging, respectively.