MR imaging of pulmonary valvular or arterial atresia

To determine the capability of MR imaging for defining central pulmonary arteries, the authors retrospectively evaluated gated images of ten patients with pulmonary atresia and three patients with unilateral absence of a pulmonary artery. MR imaging disclosed six main, six right, and eight left central pulmonary arteries in nine of the ten patients with pulmonary atresia; one patient had no detectable central pulmonary arteries. All absent central pulmonary arteries were identified correctly. Collateral arteries, patent shunts, and aortic malformations were demonstrated. MR imaging findings were confirmed by angiography or surgery. The effectiveness of MR imaging in infants is currently limited by tomographic thickness an spatial resolution