BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current knowledge of the collateral circulation remains sparse, and a noninvasive method to better characterize the role of collaterals is desirable. The aim of our study was to investigate the presence and distal flow of collaterals by using a new MR perfusion territory imaging, vessel-encoded arterial spin-labeling (VE-ASL). MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty-six patients wi...

Large intercoronary communications in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease constitute a very rare coronary artery anomaly in which there is a readily visible connection between the 2 coronary arteries with a unidirectional or bidirectional blood flow; consequently, this anomaly may be misinterpreted as a functioning collateral vessel, indicative of an unrecognized proximal coronar...

Three dimensional computer aided reconstructions of pulmonary vessels were used to investigate the distribution of vascular changes and the formation of collateral channels in 11 patients with congenital heart disease. In the patients with less severe grades of hypertensive pulmonary vascular disease obstructive changes were unevenly distributed, whereas in those with disease of grade 4 or more...

Portal hypertension, defined as an increase in pressure within the portal vein, is a detrimental complication in liver diseases. The increased intrahepatic resistance as a consequence of cirrhosis is the primary cause of portal hypertension (Figure 1). Once it is developed, portal hypertension influences extrahepatic vascular beds in the splanchnic and systemic circulation. Two major consequenc...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To date, research on extracranial venous collaterals has been focused on structure, with relatively little attention paid to hemodynamics. We addressed this limitation by quantitatively comparing collateral flow in patients with multiple sclerosis and healthy controls by using phase-contrast MR imaging. We hypothesize that patients with MS with structurally anomalous inte...

BACKGROUND The effect of aging on angiogenesis in ischemic vascular disease has not been studied. Accordingly, we investigated the hypothesis that angiogenesis is impaired as a function of age. METHODS AND RESULTS Forty days after the resection of 1 femoral artery, collateral vessel development was significantly impaired in old (aged 4 to 5 years; n=7) versus young (aged 6 to 8 months; n=6) N...

Peripheral arterial disease is a common but under-recognized problem. As the disease progresses, the patient might suffer from rest pain and/or ischemic ulceration critical limb ischemia (CLI). The primary goals for treating the limb symptoms of CLI are to improve functional capacity, exercise performance and qualify of life. Although numerous therapy options can be used for CLI, unfortunately,...