ABSTRACT
31 children aged between 6 months and 14 years with various neurovascular abnormalities were examined by MR angiography in a prospective study. In order to test the sensitivity and specificity of the MR results, these were compared in 8 cases with the findings of digital subtraction angiography or conventional angiography. In 24 patients arterial MR angiography was performed; in 17 these showed anomalies or abnormalities of the intracranial vascular system. In 7 patients venous MR angiography was performed and demonstrated the presence of sinus thrombosis in 6 of these. Comparison between MR angiography and DSA showed agreement in 7 cases; in one patient the degree of a stenosis was exaggerated by MR. The results of this study indicate that arterial and venous MR is of great value as an additional study in paediatric neurovascular problems.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Arteries/pathology , Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations/diagnosis , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Angiography, Digital Subtraction , Cerebral Angiography , Child , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Humans , Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations/epidemiology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/instrumentation , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to show the typical appearance of lesions of the parotid gland with plain MR imaging and MR imaging enhanced with gadopentetate dimeglumine. Seventeen patients with inflammatory changes and 43 with benign and malignant tumors were studied. The examinations were carried out with plain T1-weighted sequences with a repetition time (TR) of 500 msec and an echo time (TE) of 25 msec (TR/TE = 500/25), T2-weighted sequences (1,600/90), and gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted sequences in axial, coronal, and sagittal orientations. For identifying normal anatomic structures such as the facial nerve and the main duct, the administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine was helpful. In inflammatory changes, gadolinium-enhanced images showed no diagnostic advantages. Gadopentetate dimeglumine proved helpful in delineating tumorous lesions and in differentiating benign and malignant lesions. However, an exact differentiation of the different histologic types was not possible. Post-operative fibrosis could be differentiated from recurrent tumors after administration of gadolinium. If a question regarding infiltration or definition of the boundaries of a lesion cannot be answered with non-enhanced MR imaging, gadopentetate dimeglumine administration is advised. However, for routine imaging of the parotid gland, its use is not recommended.
