Purpose: To investigate the clinical utility of 3D time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography (MRA) in the evaluation of pathological vessels in patients with malignant glioma.
Material and methods: Sixteen patients with malignant glioma (12 with glioblastoma multiforme and 4 with anaplastic astrocytoma) were examined with 3D TOF MRA before and after the injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine. The 3D TOF MRA study was compared with conventional angiography in all patients.
Results: The unenhanced 3D TOF MRAs successfully depicted the feeding arteries in 9 patients but failed to depict small feeding arteries in 2 patients in whom these arteries were shown by conventional angiography. The enhanced MRAs demonstrated draining veins from the lesions in 8 patients but failed to depict a draining vein in 1 patient that was shown by conventional angiography. The stereoscopic view projection effectively depicted displacements of the major cerebral arteries in 14 patients, and deep venous structures in 11 patients which almost accorded with the findings at conventional angiography.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that 3D TOF MRA can provide an accurate visualization of pathological vascular structures and thus help establish a diagnosis in patients with malignant glioma.