[Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography].

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) involves intravenous injection of a contrast medium that increases the signal intensity of blood by shortening its T1 value. With contrast-enhanced MRA the acquisition time is short (less than 40 s for the abdominal aorta and the iliac vessels) and the images obtained can be interpreted accurately. The contrast medium currently in use virtually never causes adverse effects and is not nephrotoxic. After obtaining a three-dimensional dataset projections can be made at will. In addition, the individual partitions should be evaluated. The postprocessing time is about 15 min per examination. Current clinical applications are diagnostic examination of (stenoses of) the aortic arch and its branches, the thoracic and abdominal aorta, the visceral vessels, the renal arteries and the peripheral arteries. The sensitivity and specificity of contrast-enhanced MRA in most studies amount to over 90%.