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Many patients with arterial disease are now treated in the Radiology Department rather than undergoing surgery in an operating room. MR angiography (MRA) is a very useful way to detect problems with blood vessels and aid in determining how to best treat those problems. The carotid arteries in the neck, which are the blood vessels that carry blood to the brain, are a common site of atherosclerosis, which can severely narrow or block off an artery, reducing blood flow to the brain and even causing a stroke. If an ultrasound study shows that such disease is present, many surgeons will now do the necessary operation after confirmation by MRA, dispensing with the need for catheter angiography.
MRA has become widely used in evaluating patients for disease in the arteries of the brain, so only those with positive findings will need to have a more invasive catheter study. MRA is also used to detect disease in the aorta and in blood vessels supplying the kidneys, lungs and legs. Patients with a family history of aneurysm-a ballooning out of a segment of the vessel wall-can be screened by MRA to detect an aneurysm that has not produced symptoms. If an aneurysm is found, it may be treated surgically or with interventional techniques such as embolization with coils, possibly avoiding serious or fatal bleeding.
MR venography is used to study venous diseases such as clots. It is the best noninvasive method to identify clots in the extremities or central veins in the body.
