Intracranial vascular malformations and aneurysms. Current imaging applications.

Cerebral angiography traditionally has been the mainstay of diagnosis in the evaluation of intracranial vascular malformations and, in fact, continues to be the definitive modality for the study of these lesions. However, recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging have resulted in exquisitely detailed noninvasive characterization of intracranial vascular pathology, so that assessment of the lesion itself as well as the associated intracerebral pathology can often be made on anatomic, temporal, and histopathophysiologic bases. This article discusses current imaging techniques in the diagnosis of intracranial vascular malformations and aneurysms.