ABSTRACT
Magnetic resonance can provide a high-resolution ‘road-map’ of the peripheral vascular system. Initial sequences were two-dimensional ‘time-of-flight’ (TOF) examinations that relied upon flowing blood to provide vessel contrast. For the assessment of peripheral vascular disease, Mulligan and colleagues found a good agreement with X-ray angiography1. When applied to the tibial vessels by Owen and co-workers, magnetic resonance could provide more information than X-ray angiography regarding distal run-
off vessels, sufficient to alter surgical management plans2. However, when applied to the infrainguinal vessels, there was significant variation in the accuracy of the technique, varying from 52% by Snidow and associates3 to 87% by Carpenter and colleagues4. A major disadvantage was the amount of scanning time required (>2 h) to product satisfactory assessment of iliac to tibial vessels.
