Click on any image below to see an enlargement of that image.

Case 1: 57 year old man with chronic lower extremity swelling and negative duplex doppler ultrasound.
Chronic bilateral lower extremity DVT with enlarged saphenous veins.
Case 2: 74 year old woman with sepsis and abdominal pain.
Portal vein thrombosis.
Case 3: 42 year old woman with acute leg swelling two weeks after spinal surgery.
Thrombosis of superficial femoral vein with associated soft tissue edema.	Extension of thrombus to iliac vein.
Case 4: 20 year old trauma patient with splenic injury.
Thrombosis of splenic vein with extension to portal vein.	Spleno-renal collateral veins.
Case 5: 43 year old man with acute traumatic tear of triceps muscle and arm swelling.
Acute thrombosis of axillary and subclavian veins.
Case 6: 37 year old woman with numbness in left hand.
Chronic axillary vein thrombosis.

Above images are all original MR scans performed at Parkside MR Center.

Imaging Breakthrough

"We have found MR Venography to be a powerful and accurate noninvasive method of evaluating suspected venous thrombosis. This is especially relevant in regions of the body not easily accessible by ultrasound (within the cranium, chest and abdomen)."

Alexander S. Michael, M.D.
Interventional Radiologist
Lutheran General Hospital

Discussion

The role of MRI in evaluation of patients with suspected venous thromboembolism continues to expand. MRI can be helpful in evaluation of patients with suspected lower extremity deep venous thrombosis and has been found to be more accurate than color Doppler sonography in assessing the extent of DVT¹. The accuracy of MR venography has also been shown to rival that of digital subtraction angiography and Doppler sonography in suspected thrombosis, stenosis or compression of the upper extremity and central veins². MR also holds certain advantages over these other techniques. It is less operator dependent than Doppler sonography and can provide more reliable information about deep pelvic veins, the inferior vena cava and the large veins in the chest.

It also avoids the potential nephrotoxity and radiation of traditional contrast enhanced venography.

References:

1. Laissy, J.P., et. al. Assessment of deep venous thrombosis in the lower limbs and pelvis: MR venography versus duplex Doppler sonography. AJR 1996; 167:971-975.

2. Thornton, M.J., et. al. A three-dimensional gadolinium enhanced MR venography technique for imaging central veins. AJR 1999; 173:999-1003.

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