E-ISSN: 1305-3612
Preprocedural MRI and MRA in planning fibroid embolization
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Interventional Radiology - Pictorial Essay
VOLUME: 23 ISSUE: 2
P: 163-171
March 2017

Preprocedural MRI and MRA in planning fibroid embolization

Diagn Interv Radiol 2017;23(2):163-171
DOI: 10.5152/dir.2016.16623
Cristina Maciel 1
Yen Zhi Tang 2
Anju Sahdev 2
António Miguel Madureira 1
Paulo Vilares-Morgado 1
1. Department of Radiology, Centro Hospitalar São João, Porto, Portugal
2. Department of Radiology, St. Bartholomew´s Hospital, London, UK
No information available.
No information available
Received Date: 13.01.2016
Accepted Date: 30.07.2016
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ABSTRACT

This pictorial review aims to discuss and illustrate the up-to-date use of preprocedural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in selecting patients and planning uterine artery embolization (UAE). The merits of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in demonstrating the pelvic vasculature to guide UAE are highlighted. MRI features of fibroids and their main differential diagnoses are presented. Fibroid characteristics, such as location, size, and enhancement, which may impact patient selection and outcome, are presented based on recent literature. Pelvic arterial anatomy relevant to UAE, including vascular variants are illustrated, with conventional angiography and MRA imaging correlation. MRA preprocedural determination of the optimal projection angles for uterine artery catheterization is straightforward and constitutes an important strategy to minimize ionizing radiation exposure during UAE. A reporting template for MRI/MRA preassessement of UAE for fibroid treatment is provided.