Carotid MRA

Advanced Imaging of Port Charlotte –

MRA stands for “magnetic resonance angiography.” It is an extremely accurate noninvasive MRI (other than an IV) that specifically evaluates vessels such as arteries in the neck. It is designed to look at the main arterial trunk carrying oxygenated blood from your heart to the 3 main vessels that supply blood to the neck, head and arms and the 4 main arteries supplying blood to you head. Carotid MRAs evaluate the vessels in the neck to look for aneurysms, vascular tumors and narrowing or blockage of the vessels that can cause a stroke.

Advanced Imaging is the leading facility in imaging technology and professionally trained staff. Our Seimens Verio 3T MRI provides patients with the most spacious and comfortable MRI experience possible. The field strength of the magnet provides referring physicians with the clearest images available anywhere. The images obtained are processed with very sophisticated high speed computers and three-dimensional pictures of your vessels are then available for the radiologist to review.

Carotid MRAs can diagnosis:
Plaque: Carotid MRAs can detect plaque deposits that overtime can narrow the opening of the vessel leading to reduced blood flow to the brain. Some plaque can abruptly “tear” off sending bits of plaque up into the brain, blocking small vessels. Sometimes these tiny blockages can be completely unnoticed and other times cause the symptoms of a stroke.

Dissection: This refers to a tear in the wall of the vessel, potentially blocking the flow of blood into the brain and resulting in stoke like symptoms.

Aneurysms and Vascular Tumors: Aneurysms are ballooning of the vessels that can either disturb normal blood flow or by their shape and size press on nearby tissues and cause related symptoms such as neck pain, pressure and nerve blockage. Vascular tumors may be picked up as the vessels that feed them are large enough to be seen on the MRA.

Your Carotid MRA Scan
A carotid MRA generally takes about 20 to 40 minutes and involves a small IV in the arm or wrist. You can go home immediately afterwards. The only risk is a very rare risk of allergic reaction to the contract injected or risk of a superficial infection at the IV site. The technologist will discuss this with you prior to the exam.

How Should I Prepare?
Before some exams, you’ll be asked to avoid normal eating or drinking for a period of time. Usual prescribed medications should be continued. Diabetic patients may need to delay their medication until after they have eaten in order to avoid an insulin reaction. You may wear a hospital gown and may have to remove anything that interferes with X-rays such as glasses, jewelry, dentures, hearing aids, etc. Women should always inform their technologist if there is any possibility of pregnancy. Please inform your doctor or the technologist if you have any of the following that may prevent you from undergoing an MRI exam:
• Pacemaker
• Metallic plate, pin or other implant
• Brain aneurysm clips
• Been a metal worker
• Been wounded during military service

How Do I Get the Results?
After your study is over, the images will be evaluated by one of our board-certified radiologists, with expertise in MR angiography imaging. A final report will be sent to your doctor who can then discuss the results with you in detail. Should you have any questions regarding angiography, we will be pleased to discuss them with you.

It’s your choice:
Make the clear choice with Advanced Imaging
You have a choice for your imaging needs; Advanced Imaging of Port Charlotte stands alone at the forefront of the imaging industry. Your care is most important as we continue to provide a full range of diagnostic and screening services to meet the needs of our patients and referring physicians. Our board- certified Radiologists are on site and work hand in hand with our highly trained technologists. We are pleased to provide extended clinic hours, same day appointments and prompt exam results to your physician.

Why Choose Advanced Imaging for your imaging needs?
• Compassionate patient care
• Highly trained staff
• Lower priced exams than local hospitals
• Timely exams
• Prompt results
• On site board-certified Radiologists and certified technologists

We provide the most accurate MRA of the neck of anywhere in the entire USA. This is because: 1) Our Magnet provides the most powerful magnetic field, (3 Tesla), 2) we have a special neck vascular coil, which provides the highest resolution images, and 3) we purposely set up the test to take the finest detailed images. It takes longer, and more skill, but we believe it is worth it, 4) we cover a larger area of the neck and are able to clearly visualize more distal vessels that other centers are not able to do, 5) We are the only center in the NW that routinely can not just see the aortic arch very clearly, but also see the entirety of the subclavian arteries, and often even proximal axillary arteries, and finally 6) We run a new type of sequence called time resolved angiography, so that we can actually watch the blood flow through the arteries and veins “real time”. This allows us to discover important information about blocked blood vessels, and how areas with poor blood flow get help from other blood vessels (“collateral blood flow”).

Advanced Imaging of Port Charlotte
941.235.4646