3.0T MRA Evaluation in Fenestration of the Intra and Extracranial Artery

Objective To describe the magnetic resonance angiography(MRA)features of fenestration in intra and extracranial artery(especial for vertebrobasilar artery).Materials and MethodsBetween January 2007 and February 2008,three dimensional contrast enhanced(CE MRA) or three dimensional time of flight(3D TOF) MR angiographies of 371 head and carotid arteries were collected.A 3.0 Tesla scanner was used in this study.The reconstructed images were then processed into volume rending(VR),maximal intensity projection(MIP) and thin slice multiplane reconstruction(TS MIP).Results18(4.9%,18/371) fenestrations of intra and extracranial artery were detected.In 18 fenestrations,11(3.0%,11/371)fenestrations were located in basilar atrety:10 fenestrations were located in proximal portion of basilar artery trunk,1 fenestration was present at basilar artery trunk;3 fenestrations were present at vertebrobasilar junction;1 fenestration was located in anterior cerebral artery;1 fenestration was located in anterior communicating artery;2 fenestrations were located in middle cerebral artery.3(16.7%,3/18) of these fenestrations were associated with cerebral intracranial aneurysms.ConclusionCE MRA and 3D TOF MRA can clearly detect intra and extracranial artery fenestrations.