102 Other MRA Applications
Beyond its most established uses, contrast-enhanced MRA can aid in the assessment and evaluation of other vascular diseases, especially aneurysms. Abdominal aortic aneurysms are defined as dilatations greater than 3 cm, and can be classified with respect to their location relative to the renal arteries. Suprarenal aneurysms lie above the origin of the renal arteries, juxtarenal aneurysms within 1 cm of the renal arteries, and infrarenal arteries below the renal arteries. Aneurysms greater than 5 cm are typically repaired either by surgery or stenting. In such cases, the distance between the aneurysm neck and the more distal renal artery should be reported, along with the aneurysm length (on coronal images), the distance from the aneurysm to the common iliac arteries, and the diameter of the external iliac arteries. In the case of intraaneurysmal thrombosis, the diameter of the thrombosis and the patent lumen itself should be measured. An aneurysm of the ascending thoracic aorta is defined as being 4 cm or greater in diameter, a common iliac artery aneurysm as greater than 1.5 cm, and a popliteal aneurysm as greater than 0.7 cm. Multiple lesions are not uncommon with abdominal aneurysms increasing the probability of concomitant femoral or popliteal aneurysms, the latter of which commonly thrombose.