Noncontrast magnetic resonance imaging for preoperative perforator mapping.

Identifying the position, course, and caliber of the dominant perforator is extremely valuable in the preoperative study for perforator surgery. Besides reliability, the ideal technique should offer low cost and high availability and reproducibility. It should be fast, easy to interpret, and free of morbidity. Multidetector-row computed tomography (MDTC) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide images that are easy to interpret, and assess the perforator's caliber and localization and its intramuscular course and anatomic relationships. Noncontrast MRI avoids radiation to the patient and eliminates the need for intravenous contrast medium. This article discusses this method and presents our experience.