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Subclavian Steal Syndrome: Diagnosis with Perfusion Metrics from Contrast-enhanced MR Angiographic Bolus-timing Examination—Initial Experience¹

¹ From the Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Ave, New York, NY 10016. Received April 20, 2004; revision requested June 29; revision received July 23; accepted August 20. Address correspondence to C.W. (e-mail: cw262@med.nyu.edu).

PURPOSE: To retrospectively determine whether differential temporal changes in signal intensity of the vertebral arteries, measured at a bolus-timing examination with a test dose of a gadolinium-based contrast agent, are present in patients with subclavian steal syndrome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional review board exemption was obtained, and informed consent was not required for this retrospective study. The study complied with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Twenty-five patients with known or clinically suspected atherosclerotic disease of the aortic arch and branch vessels underwent breath-hold contrast material–enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography with circulation time derived from a timing examination by using a test bolus of a gadolinium-based contrast agent. Eight patients (three men and five women aged 54–80 years; mean, 70 years) had subclavian stenosis or occlusion with retrograde vertebral artery flow confirmed with time-of-flight MR angiography, nine patients (eight men and one woman aged 31–91 years; mean, 70 years) had mild to severe ostial stenosis of a single vertebral artery, and eight patients (including four men and four women aged 53–86 years; mean, 73 years) had normal vertebral arteries. The difference in time to peak signal intensity between the right and left vertebral arteries was compared among the three groups by using Fisher exact and Cochran–Mantel-Haenszel tests.

RESULTS: The delay in peak enhancement in the ipsilateral vertebral artery ranged from 2 to 4 seconds (mean, 2.5 seconds) in all eight patients with subclavian steal syndrome. In eight of nine patients with ostial vertebral artery stenosis and eight controls, both vertebral arteries filled simultaneously. The presence of unilateral delayed vertebral artery enhancement was significantly associated with retrograde flow in patients with subclavian steal syndrome, compared with patients with normal flow (P < .01) and those with ostial vertebral artery stenosis (P < .01).

CONCLUSION: A bolus-timing examination performed with a test bolus of the gadolinium-based contrast agent via the neck vessels that demonstrates at least a 2-second delay in peak contrast enhancement in the right or left vertebral arteries may, in the appropriate clinical setting, indicate subclavian steal syndrome.

© RSNA, 2005

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