Assessment of extracranial-intracranial bypass in Moyamoya disease using 3T time-of-flight MR angiography: comparison with CT angiography.

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the value of time-of-flight MR angiography (TOF MRA) for the assessment of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass in Moyamoya disease in comparison with computed tomography angiography (CTA).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A consecutive series of 23 patients with Moyamoya disease were analyzed retrospectively. Twenty three patients underwent 25 procedures of extracranial-intracranial bypass. Cranial CTA was performed within one week after the surgery to assess bypass patency. Then TOF MRA was scanned within 24 h after CTA on a 3T MRI system. Using 5-point scales (0 = poor to 4 = excellent), two radiologists rated the image quality and vessel integrity of bypass for three segments (extracranial, trepanation, intracranial).

RESULTS

Image quality was high in both CTA and TOF MRA (mean quality score 3.84 ± 0.37 and 3.8 ± 0.41), without statistical difference (p = 0.66). Mean scores of TOF MRA with respect to bypass visualization were higher than CTA in the intracranial segment (p = 0.026). No significant difference of bypass visualization regarding the extracranial and trepanation segments was found between TOF MRA and CTA (p = 0.66 and p = 0.34, respectively). For the trepanation segment, TOF MRA showed pseudo lesions in 2 of all 25 cases.

CONCLUSIONS

3T TOF MRA, a non-contrast technique not exposing the patients to radiation, proved to be at least equal to CTA for the assessment of EC-IC bypass, and even superior to CTA with respect to the intracranial segment. In addition, readers should be aware of a potential overestimation showing focal pseudo lesions of the bypass at the trepanation segment in TOF MRA.