Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA)

The evolution of MR angiography (MRA) is the preferred diagnostic tool for the detection of plaques and blockages (stenosis) in the blood vessels.

MR only shows the structure or anatomy of the body, but also the function or workings of the body. MR procedures can depict the coronary vessels or create movie-like scenes of the beating heart.

MR, like CT, requires the patient to lie still on a special table inside the scanning gantry for ten to thirty minutes. However, during the conventional "high-field" MR exam, patients must lie completely still for shorter durations of five to ten minutes at a time. Due to the longer examination times of MR and the closed nature of the cylindrical magnet used in traditional "high-field" MR equipment (0.5 to 1.5 Tesla magnetic field strength), some patients who undergo MR may experience claustrophobic anxiety.