Peripheral arterial disease: clinical and cost comparisons between duplex US and contrast-enhanced MR angiography--a multicenter randomized trial.

Purpose: To prospectively determine the clinical and economic consequences of replacing duplex ultrasonography (US) with contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography for the initial imaging work-up of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Materials And Methods: This randomized multicenter study was approved by the institutional review board of each hospital, and all patients signed written informed consent prior to randomization. Patients with PAD who needed to undergo imaging work-up and who had an ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI) of less than 0.

Cardiac-synchronized gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography: preliminary experience for the evaluation of the thoracic aorta.

Gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced three-dimensional breath-hold magnetic resonance cardiac-synchronized angiography was performed in 13 patients suspected or known to have thoracic aortic disease. High-quality angiograms of the ascending/descending thoracic aorta and coronary arteries were obtained with this method. MR angiograms were compared with Gd-enhanced angiograms obtained without cardiac synchronization.

The value of single-shot black-blood MR imaging for mapping of the coronary arteries: a comparison of four different orientations during breath-holding and free breathing.

The value of ECG-gated single-shot black-blood MR imaging for rapid visualization of the origin and course of the coronary arteries was investigated. The study population included 28 patients with known or suspected cardiac disease. ECG-gated single-shot black-blood MR acquisitions were acquired in the transverse, coronal, sagittal and LAO orientations, during free breathing and breath-holding.

Clinical and haemodynamic sequelae of deep venous thrombosis: retrospective evaluation after 7-13 years.

1. In contrast to the extensive documentation on diagnosis and treatment of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), information about long-term complications, like the post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), is scarce. Most studies report on clinical examination only, whereas adequate haemodynamic investigation is lacking.

Imaging of vascular pathology in hyperhomocysteinemic patients with digital subtraction angiography and magnetic resonance techniques.

Mild hyperhomocysteinaemia (mHH) is an independent risk factor for premature arteriosclerosis. We investigated the accuracy in the detection of early arteriosclerotic lesions in such patients. The left and right wall of the abdominal aorta, the aortic bifurcation and both common iliac arteries were evaluated with gated T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (gT1 MRI) and gated two-dimensional (2D) time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (g2D-TOF MRA) and were compared with intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (iaDSA) in 11 patients with arteriosclerosis and mHH.

[5 patients with Takayasu's disease in The Netherlands].

Objective: To describe the patients with Takayasu's disease in the University Hospital Nijmegen, and to compare these patients with literature.

Design: Retrospective, descriptive.

Setting: University Hospital Nijmegen.

Role of MR imaging in the preoperative evaluation of atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysms.

A prospective study was performed on 69 patients with an atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm to assess the preoperative value of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging compared with that of angiography and ultrasound (US). The results of MR imaging, angiography, and US were separately interpreted by one observer independently, without knowledge of the results from the other imaging modalities. The individual radiologic report from each imaging modality was compared with surgical findings, which served as a standard of reference.

Femoropopliteal arterial reconstruction with intraoperative iliac transluminal angioplasty for disabling claudication: results of a combined approach.

Seventeen patients with disabling claudication resulting from multilevel arteriosclerotic disease were treated by combined intraoperative iliac transluminal angioplasty and femoropopliteal arterial reconstruction. Clinical improvement or total relief of ischaemic symptoms was observed in 15 out of 17 patients. Iliac pressure gradients were reduced with balloon dilatation to < 2 mmHg in all cases.

Spinal cord injury following surgery for acute traumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta.

From 1970 to 1985, 49 patients were operated for traumatic aortic rupture (TAR) in 2 university hospitals. Protection of distal ischemia was performed 31 times with a left heart bypass (LHB), 5 times with a heparin coated shunt and, 13 times using simple aortic cross-clamping combined with pharmacological vasodilatation. Total mortality was 17 out of 49, 5 during and 12 after the operation, 2 of them being directly related to systemic heparinization during LHB.