Diagnosis of aortic dissection with magnetic resonance imaging

Eight patients with suspected or known aortic dissection were imaged with magnetic resonance (MR). All of them were eventually shown to have dissection. In most instances the diagnosis was established by aortography and/or computed tomography (CT) prior to the MR study. MR demonstrated the intimal flap and determined whether the dissection was type I, type II or type III. In addition, MR differentiated between the true and false lumens. Our early experience suggests that MR can serve as the initial imaging test in clinically suspected cases of aortic dissection and that the information provided by MR obviates the use of iodinated contrast media.