MR Angiographic–Guided Percutaneous Sclerotherapy for Venous Vascular Malformations: A Radiation Dose-Reduction Strategy

SUMMARY: We present a new technique using MRA instead of the usual DSA to provide guidance in the treatment of venous vascular malformations. When one performs this embolization procedure, appropriate needle positioning within the malformation must be confirmed before injection of the sclerosing agent to prevent untoward complications. Time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics–MRA can accurately depict the angioarchitecture of the lesion, which substantially reduces the total radiation dose in these patients who are commonly in the pediatric age group and usually require numerous treatment episodes.