Magnetic resonance imaging of the dissected thoracic aorta

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is ideally suited to the examination of the thoracic aorta because of the ability of the technique to demonstrate mediastinal vessels, depict blood flow, and produce direct oblique and sagittal as well as coronal and transaxial images. The authors present a case in which the findings on MRI are compared with angiography and computed tomography (CT) in a patient with an aortic dissection and a thrombus within the false lumen.