Renal Artery Stenosis: Diagnostic Performance of Balanced Fast Field Gradient Echo MRA
Pornpim Korpraphong MD*, Pitchawadee Tovanabutra MD*, Kobkun Muangsomboon MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Objective : To compare the diagnostic performance of new B-FFE MR angiography with contrast-enhanced
MR angiography in diagnosis of renal artery stenosis.
Material and Method: One hundred and fourteen patients suspected of having renal artery stenosis
underwent MR angiography with 2D B-FFE technique and 3D post contrast enhancement.
Results : Compared with contrast enhanced MR angiography, B-FFE MR angiography correctly depicted
significant stenotic renal arteries (> 50% stenosis) in 13 and 12 renal arteries from 21 renal arteries,
reviewed by first and second radiologists, respectively. The overall sensitivity, specificity, negative and
positive predictive values of B-FFE MR angiography in diagnosis of significant renal artery stenosis (> 50%
stenosis) reviewed by first and second radiologists, were 57.1-61.9%, 91.9-93.6%, 96.1-96.4%, and 81.3-
92.3%, respectively.
Conclusion : B-FFE MR angiography of renal arteries can be promising technique for screening patients
who are suspected of having renovascular disease without requirement of intravenous contrast injection,
especially the kidney disease patients.
Keywords : MR angiography, Renal artery stenosis, B-FFE technique
