Purpose: By a retrospective clinical evaluation of 450 MR angiograms of the lower extremity arteries the question was posed of whether MR angiography can replace i.a. DSA.
Material and methods: Image quality of 450 MR angiograms was graded by 4 radiologists; in 102 patients who underwent radiological intervention a comparison between MR angiogram and i.a. DSA was done. Additionally, MR angiography was compared with the results of surgical intervention in 106 cases.
Results: 6% of 450 examinations showed a significant limitation of diagnostic information. 5 examinations (1%) had to be redone by i.a. DSA. In all cases the diagnosis from MRA was proven by the results of the following i.a. DSA or surgical procedure.
Conclusion: The retrospective clinical evaluation of 450 examinations demonstrated that MR angiography of the lower extremity arteries can replace i.a. DSA in routine use.