Objectives: To evaluate fresh blood imaging (FBI), a magnetic resonance imaging technique that does not use contrast, for identifying hemangiomas and feeding arteries in the oral and maxillofacial regions.
Study design: For 16 patients with hemangiomas, FBI visualizations of hemangiomas and feeding arteries in the oral and maxillofacial regions were compared with those from 3-dimensional (3D) phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography (PC-MRA). Comparisons were based on the conspicuities of blood vessels and the 3D relationships of hemangiomas with the surrounding blood vessels.
Results: The conspicuity of hemangiomas, feeding arteries, and blood vessels were significantly better with FBI than with PC-MRA. After differentiating arteries from veins, 3D visualizations of hemangiomas and arteries or veins could be performed with FBI.
Conclusions: FBI is a useful method in oral and maxillofacial regions for identifying the relationships between hemangiomas and the surrounding arteries or veins.
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