Magnetic resonance angiography of cerebral arteriovenous malformations

Magnetic resonance (MR) angiography as a method for the long-term follow-up of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) was assessed in 14 patients with cerebral AVMs. These patients were either untreated or treated with transarterial embolization and/or stereotactic radiosurgery (gamma knife). Two-dimensional- and three-dimensional (3D)-time-of-flight (TOF) techniques were useful for following AVMs with a small nidus and few feeders and drainers which were either untreated or had been treated only a few months previously. 3D-TOF MR angiography with a contrast agent was more useful for visualizing the vascular structure, including the residual nidus, during long-term follow-up of treated AVMs. (author)