ABSTRACT

Management of venous malformations requires an accurate diagnosis and assessment of hemodynamic and morphological characteristics as well as assessment of the extent of a lesion and its relationship to surrounding anatomical structures and normal vasculature, before intervening. Multiple imaging modalities are used, alone or combined, to evaluate venous malformations and confirm the initial clinical diagnosis, including US imaging, computed tomography (CT) scans, catheter-based angiography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Compared to CT scans, MRI is more accurate in assessing the extension of venous malformations due to its superior contrast resolution. More recently, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (dceMRI) has emerged as a mainstay of diagnostic evaluation to avoid unnecessary catheter-based venography in most patients.