Femoral MR angiography versus conventional angiography: preliminary results.

Objective: To develop a bilateral femoral magnetic resonance (MR) angiographic examination that would include the aortic bifurcation to the ankle.

Methods: Thirty-seven patients underwent conventional angiography and the bilateral femoral MR angiographic examination. Two-dimensional time-of-flight angiography was used for all studies.

Results: The femoral MR angiogram could have replaced the conventional angiogram in 57% of patients (21 of 37). In 43% of patients (16 of 37), the femoral MR angiogram could not have replaced the conventional angiogram. Reasons for diagnostic failure with femoral MR angiography included artifact from vascular clips (n = 8) or prosthetic joints (n = 3), overlooked distal aortic stenosis (n = 1), and suboptimal definition of vessels (usually trifurcation vessels) owing to various causes (n = 8). Seven of the patients in this group had bypass grafts.

Conclusions: Some of the current limitations of femoral MR angiography could be avoided by supplemental duplex sonography around prostheses and vascular clips. The other limitations will require advances in MR imaging techniques.