MRI of acute and chronic aortic pathology: pre-operative and postoperative evaluation.

With recent advances in the understanding of aortic diseases, both power and versatility have put magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the focus of diagnostic work-up in the entire spectrum of clinical aortic pathology. Technical refinements, from classic anatomic imaging to three-dimensional gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography and tissue characterization, have rendered MRI ideal for assessment of acquired disease such as aortic dissection, intramural hematoma, and aneurysm, along with postoperative follow-up evaluation, with better reliability and safety than other imaging modalities. Moreover, congenital pathology of the aorta, including aortic arch anomalies and coarctation, can be non-invasively evaluated by MRI. With spectroscopy and the advent of high-resolution intravascular coils, MRI may even provide histopathologic and potentially prognostic information unparalleled by any other method. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;10:741-750. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.