The effectiveness of 3T time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography for follow-up evaluations after the stent-assisted coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms

BackgroundArtifacts introduced by stents limit the value of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging as a follow-up modality after the stent-assisted coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms.PurposeTo investigate the usefulness of 3 Tesla (3T) time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography (MRA) for the follow-up evaluation.Material and MethodsTwenty-two aneurysms of 20 patients treated with stent-assisted coil embolization were followed up with 3T TOF MRA and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) with three-dimensional rotational angiography (3DRA). The status of coiled aneurysms was compared with 3T TOF MRA and DSA with 3DRA in terms of complete occlusion, residual neck, and residual aneurysm. TOF MRA at 3T was performed 1 day before DSA with 3DRA, with a mean follow-up period of 20.1 ± 10.8 months.ResultsTwenty (90.9%) of 22 cases were concordant between the two modalities. The degree of agreement and correlation between them were high (κ = 0.771, P < 0.001; r = 0.832 and P < 0.001). When evaluating the status of residual ...