The run-off resistance (ROR) assessed on MR angiograms may serve as a valid scoring system in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and correlates with the ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI)

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the hemodynamic parameter ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) and the run-off resistance (ROR) assessed on MR angiograms (MRA) in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) Fontaine Stage I and II and its potential as reliable reporting system in clinical routine. Methods: Contrast-enhanced MRA was performed in 321 PAD patients using a 1.5 T MR scanner with moving bed technique. The ROR and resting ABI were determined in each patient's leg and correlation analysis was performed using the Pearson test. Results: A significant negative correlation (r = −.513; p < .001) between ROR (mean 11.03 ± 5.42) and resting ABI (mean .81 ± .26) was identified. An even more pronounced correlation was found in patients younger than median age who had higher ABI values (r = −.608; p < .001). Conclusion: The ROR scoring system evaluated in this series correlates better with the ABI than previously published scoring systems and could be suggested as reporting system for routine MRA evaluation.