Distal abdominal aortic thrombosis diagnosed by three-dimensional contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography.

Contrast enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) can provide noninvasive relatively rapid three-dimensional high-detailed vascular images over large anatomic areas. There are few descriptions of the use of contrast-enhanced MRA in veterinary patients. This is a report illustrating the use of contrast-enhanced MRA to localize the full extent of distal aortic, external iliac, and femoral artery thrombi confirmed surgically in four dogs. Distal aorta contrast-enhanced MRA was anatomically accurate in detecting the full extent of thrombi involving the aorta, external iliac and femoral arteries in these four canine patients. This procedure can provide important information for surgery.