Purpose: The presence of peripheral vascular disease, in particular iliofemoral disease, is responsible in part for vascular complications from femoral artery cannulation. We investigated whether prescreening for vascular obstructions with magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in high-risk patients with peripheral vascular disease (PVD) would provide useful information to angiographers seeking to improve the safety and efficiency of femoral artery access at cardiac catheterization.
Methods: Twelve consecutive patients with known or suspected PVD underwent contrast-enhanced, aorto-iliofemoral MRA using a real-time BolusTrak technique. Contrast-to-noise ratios for each patient were calculated. The cardiac angiographer reviewed the MRA prior to catheterization and selected an access site. The patients' subsequent clinical course was evaluated, and a postprocedure questionnaire was completed by the angiographer to define the value of the prescreening MRA.
Results: No significant vascular complications occurred in these patients as defined by failure of initially chosen access site, arterial dissection, limb ischemia, pseudoaneurysm formation, hemorrhage (including retroperitoneal hematoma), or need for blood transfusion or emergency vascular surgical repair. Statistical frequency analysis of the responses in the postprocedure questionnaire demonstrated that the MR data were clinically valuable in (1) influencing the initial choice of access site; (2) influencing technical alterations to the standard access; and, (3) enhancing confidence in the selection of access site.
Conclusions: MRA prescreening in patients with PVD is an effective, novel adjunct to cardiac catheterization in selected patients that improves physician confidence and influences technical choices during coronary angiography from the femoral artery approach.