Assessment of vascular involvement with magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in pancoast syndrome

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of MRA in determining vascular involvement in bronchogenic carcinoma with Pancoast syndrome. Six patients with Pancoast syndrome were investigated pre-operatively by means of MRA. Following standard spin-echo MR imaging in the axial and coronal planes, two successive two-dimensional (2D) time-of-flight acquisitions were obtained in the axial plane, the first with venous, the second with arterial presaturation. MRA data were compared to angiographic data in four cases, and to surgical findings in all six cases. MRA,demonstrated displacement (n = 2) and encasement (n = 2) of subclavian and/or brachiocephalic arteries, and encasement or occlusion of subclavian and/or right brachiocephalic vein (n = 3). Close correlation between MRA, angiography and surgery was obtained. These preliminary results suggest that MRA is a noninvasive diagnostic method complementary to MR imaging for detecting vascular involvement in bronchogenic carcinoma with Pancoast syndrome.