Magnetic Resonance Angiography or MRA is a specialized type of MRI that allows us to evaluate the blood vessels of the body, specifically the arteries, in exquisite detail.  In the past, this type of evaluation would require insertion of a catheter into the blood vessel to be studied, typically through a groin artery or vein, using x-ray guidance, a relatively invasive procedure usually performed in a hospital. 

With MRA, the same images of the body’s arteries are achieved using our state-of-the-art Siemens 1.5 T Magnetom Espree MRI Scanner at SeaCoast Imaging.  Except for the evaluation of the arteries of the brain, the examination does require a simple injection of contrast or dye into an arm vein.  After the MRI system acquires all of the images, it’s computer then removes all of the tissues of the body from the scan, except for the arteries, leaving a detailed image of the circulation to be studied which can then be viewed in 3 dimensions, allowing us to see the artery in question in 360 degrees.

This new technology is extremely useful, especially in the evaluation of the arteries of the brain for aneurysms, the carotid arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain which often develop stenoses or significant narrowing due to atherosclerotic disease, aortic aneurysms, and renal artery stenoses that often are the cause of hypertension or high blood pressure and peripheral vascular disease that leads to loss of blood flow to the lower extremities.

The MRA images are not only obtained for diagnosis of arterial disease, but for use in surgical planning and for planning for angioplasty (dilatation of an arterial stenosis with an intravascular balloon) or stent placement (implanting an intravascular expandable device that dilates an arterial stenosis).  By using MRA, invasive angiographic procedures are reserved only for these therapeutic interventions.  Diagnosis and planning are easy with outpatient MRA with significantly less risk than conventional angiography.