[MR angiography of the vertebrobasilar circulatory area: the potential uses of the saturation technic to determine the direction of the flow].

MR angiography (MRA) combined with selective saturation techniques has proved to be a reliable method for the determination of flow direction and vascular supply at the level of the circle of Willis. We describe its application to the vertebrobasilar system (VBS) in ten volunteers and five patients with abnormal findings. In one patient with postsurgical stenosis of the brachiocephalic artery, reverse flow of the vertebral artery (VA) was demonstrated. Collateral blood flow from the anterior circulation over the posterior communicating arteries was shown in three patients with bilateral vertebral or proximal basilar artery occlusion. Due to increase of pressure during contrast injection into the contralateral VA, DSA showed reverse flow of a dissected VA in one patient. MR flow determination as well as TCD proved antegrade flow. All results correlated with both DSA and transcranial Doppler (TCD). The technique is little time consuming and is a promising add-on examination to conventional and MRA imaging of the VBS.