CT and MR Angiography of the Peripheral Circulation: Practical Approach with Clinical Protocols PDF

Foreword

The advent of multislice computed tomographic angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has had a dramatic impact on practice patterns in cardiovascular medicine with a significant proportion of catheterbased diagnostic angiography giving way to these new modalities.

This text represents a comprehensive treatise on CTA and MRA for the diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease and represents a consolidated attempt at bridging the everwidening gap between innovation in these areas and the knowledge of the general and cardiovascular clinician. A large number of high-quality illustrations make this textbook particularly attractive to the general clinician. Abundant tables and scanning protocols are included in each chapter wherever applicable.

In the first half of the book dedicated to CTA, the introductory chapters address technical principles, image reconstruction, radiation dosimetry, and principles of CT contrast agents and their administration. Subsequently, clinical application of CTA in each major vascular territory is dealt with thoroughly, with clear description of the examination and scanning technique for assessing each specific territory. The section on MRA provides a state of the art overview of this methodology in the peripheral circulation. MR physics relevant to the clinician is succinctly articulated with specific chapters dedicated to pulse sequences commonly used in peripheral angiography and MR contrast agents. Individual chapters on each major vascular territory including the extracranial and intracranial circulation, the pulmonary circulation, the thoracic and the abdominal aorta, the renal, and mesenteric circulation, the lower and upper extremity circulation enable the reader to appreciate the intricacies of MRA techniques for the evaluation of these territories.

In summary, Doctors Debabrata Mukherjee, Sanjay Rajagopalan, Informa Healthcare and colleagues have put together a very didactic and practical book. I believe the information will serve to stimulate the interest not only of the cardiovascular specialist ready to become familiarized with this important technological development of CT and MRI as applied to patients with peripheral vascular disease, but also of a broad range of professionals and students of cardiovascular medicine.

This book is a valuable resource and should help the efforts to incorporate CT and MR in mainstream cardiovascular practice.