Leg Arteries

To evaluate the arteries of the legs, it is routine to evaluate the iliac arteries of the pelvis so the medical order must specify both anatomical regions.  When the patient has too much calcified plaque in a leg CTA study, as in the heart, it precludes optimal evaluation of the arteries.  The alternative is an MRA performed with gadolinium-based contrast agent with blood-pool properties called ABLAVAR.  This contrast stays in the blood vessels longer than regular gadolinium, which represents a better opportunity to evaluate areas of narrowing in the arteries than with regular gadolinium.  As discussed previously, MRA studies do not show calcified plaques so it is not affected by calcifications as is the case with CTA.