Question 1

which test is more conclusive: an mra of the brain or an angiogram?

Accepted Answer

Brain angio: An MRA of the brain is very robust. With MR you can have a 3-dimensional picture of the vascular anatomy. MR does not have any radiation, the contrast less commonly has adverse reaction and is noninvasive. 
The only compelling reason not to do MR is if you have other contraindications or need actual intervention (ex. embolization)

Question 2

magnetic resonance imaging angiogram of the heart lv to look at its function,cant have angiogram, what would mra of lv show? as they refuse to do this

Accepted Answer

MRA: MRI/ and MRA of the heart can be gated to demonstrate cardiac wall motion.
Will define areas of infarct or ischemia
Can help determine ejection fraction
Can visualize valves as well

Question 3

how sensitive is a cardiac mra scan in comparison to an angiogram in a slightly over weight 22 year old female with chest pain?

Accepted Answer

Not valuable: Cardiac MRA is valuable for cardiac chambers, volumes, and shunts but for visualizing the coronary arteries, the test you want is a cardiac CT angiogram which has better temporal resolution. Understand: unless you have diabetes or use cocaine, the incidence of coronary disease in a 22 yo female is

Question 4

i have marked hypoplastic right vertebral artery especially at v4. dx previously on multple mras. recently had catheter angiogram & venogram x 2 done, would they have seen this issue before entering the artery? i.e is this an obvious thing to see?

Accepted Answer

: Asymmetry of the vertebral arteries is common, &amp; the right VA is usually the smaller one. Sounds like your right VA is even smaller than usual. A few people have no right VA at all. If the size of the artery doesn't increase the risk of thrombosis, it's nothing to worry about.

Question 5

would you prefer pet scan over angiogram? this is for an avm on my left forehead. i finished mri and mra. we want to make sure which one is better.

Accepted Answer

See below: Angiograms are specifically for showing details of vascular anatomy. Pet, as i understand it, tests function of different areas.

Question 6

would an mra and mrv of my head rule out dural fistula or is an angiogram necessary? i have intermittent pulsitile tinnitus in left ear

Accepted Answer

In most cases,: tailored MRA/MRV should be sufficient to screen for dural AV fistula.  Conventional angiography can be reserved for treatment planning or equivocal cases

Question 7

since coiling of brain aneurysm year ago, i have had 3 mra (without contrast)which showed occlusion. should i be having a ct angiogram in the future?

Accepted Answer

Brain aneurysm : If the aneurysm is completely occluded one year after coiling then it is very unlikely that the coils will become compacted and the aneurysm will recur. CT angiography requires contrast dye which is contraindicated in people with iodine allergy or kidney disease. Sometimes CTA can give better resolution than MRA and visa versa. Discuss with your neurosurgeon the best imaging study for you.

Question 8

if mra showed abi on right dorsalis pedis is zero before surgery should doctor freak out after aortic bypass surgery o again then he does a r ileofemarol thrombolectomy and a intraoperative angiogram and a r distal pop-tibial exposure then a r greater sap

Accepted Answer

I : I believe that you also asked this question elsewhere, so escuse me if the first part of my answer is a repeat.

The ankle-brachial index (abi) is a screening test done with blood pressure cuffs and an ultrasound probe. An mra, in contrast, uses magnetic fields and injected dye to directly visualize the anatomy of the blood vessels. Therefore, while an mra might show a blocked dorsalis pedis artery, it would not be reported as showing an abi of zero.

The abi tests blood pressure in the dorsalis pedis and the posterior tibial arteries and compares those measurements to blood pressures in the arms. If the pressures in the feet are significantly lower than those in the arms, and/or the patient has clinical signs of decreased blood flow to the feet, then one may decide to intervene.

It sounds to me like you had no pulse in your dorsais pedis artery before your surgery, regardless of what your abi might have been.  This could have happened because of chronic blockage or because of new clot that might have formed a) because of decreased flow in an already-diseased dorsalis pedis or b) because of clot that came from abnormal vessels upstream.  You had an aortic bypass, so there certainly was disease upstream.

It sounds to me like your surgery was a difficult one. However, it's hard to know whether your doctor was fixing problems that were caused by the surgery or whether you just had a lot of disease to begin with and he or she was trying to fix a of of problems at the same time. Unfortunately, a lot of people with bad arterial disease wind up in a wheelchair or with amputations despite the best efforts of good doctors.  Still, if you think your doctor made a mistake, you should certainly talk it over with him or her and consider seeing another doctor for a second opinion.

Question 9

22 chest pain exersise since 18. had ecg, stress ecg, cardiac mri/mra, echo, 24h ecg. should i have ct angiogram? no family history.

Accepted Answer

No: Your stress test has been normal. At your age it is unlikely that your pain is related to coronary heart disease therefore no need for ct angiography.

Question 10

are magnetic resonance angiogram and venogram usually performed with the posterior view or anterior? does it depend on symptoms and site of symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Cross sections of: body which are reconstructed in software to show any of multiple views, depending on machine, software, technician &amp; radiologist chosen protocols. Symptoms &amp; site of symptoms are not a driving factor in how the scan is performed. These issues are dictated by body anatomy &amp; the construction of the scanning hardware.

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Doctor answers about:

Angiogram vs mra

A member asked:

Which test is more conclusive: an mra of the brain or an angiogram?

A member asked:

Magnetic resonance imaging angiogram of the heart lv to look at its function,cant have angiogram, what would mra of lv show? as they refuse to do this

A member asked:

How sensitive is a cardiac mra scan in comparison to an angiogram in a slightly over weight 22 year old female with chest pain?

A member asked:

I have marked hypoplastic right vertebral artery especially at v4. dx previously on multple mras. recently had catheter angiogram & venogram x 2 done, would they have seen this issue before entering the artery? i.e is this an obvious thing to see?

A member asked:

Would you prefer pet scan over angiogram? this is for an avm on my left forehead. i finished mri and mra. we want to make sure which one is better.

A member asked:

Would an mra and mrv of my head rule out dural fistula or is an angiogram necessary? i have intermittent pulsitile tinnitus in left ear

A member asked:

Since coiling of brain aneurysm year ago, i have had 3 mra (without contrast)which showed occlusion. should i be having a ct angiogram in the future?

A member asked:

If mra showed abi on right dorsalis pedis is zero before surgery should doctor freak out after aortic bypass surgery o again then he does a r ileofemarol thrombolectomy and a intraoperative angiogram and a r distal pop-tibial exposure then a r greater sap

A member asked:

22 chest pain exersise since 18. had ecg, stress ecg, cardiac mri/mra, echo, 24h ecg. should i have ct angiogram? no family history.

A member asked:

Are magnetic resonance angiogram and venogram usually performed with the posterior view or anterior? does it depend on symptoms and site of symptoms?

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