Characterisation of intracranial aneurysms with MR angiography

The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of 3D time-of-flight (TOF) acquisitions in the characterisation of intracranial aneurysms. Fourteen patients with aneurysms proven on intra-arterial angiography were first studied with a 3D TOF acquisition. When the aneurysms were incompletely demonstrated, additional MR angiography (MRA) acquisitions were performed, including black-blood MRA, 2D TOF, phase-contrast and contrast-enhanced TOF. 3D TOF MRA was sufficient for detection of the aneurysm in 13 of 14 cases and characterisation of the aneurysm was possible in 6. All the initial shortcomings of the TOF technique could be analysed and explained by means of additional MRA techniques. This study suggests that the combination of different MRA techniques offers new possibilities for noninvasive investigation of intracranial aneurysms.