Magnetic resonance angiography compared with basic magnetic resonance in intracranial vascular diseases.

The diagnostic value of magnetic resonance angiography (MR-Angio) in the study of intracranial vascular diseases was compared with that of basic magnetic resonance (MR) in 35 patients presenting with a total of 45 pathologies (13 vascular malformations, 17 aneurysms, 3 vascular stenoses, all also examined by standard angiography, and 12 cases of dolichobasilar artery). A joint reading of the results was carried out by two radiologists who evaluated the basic MR and MR-Angio separately and thereafter filled in a fixed-choice answer form. In the author's opinion, MR-Angio may be considered a complementary technique to basic MR, offering a greater capacity for identification and characterization of these intracranial lesions. In vascular malformations and aneurysms, MR-Angio may be performed as a preliminary to digital subtraction angiography.