Background: An endoleak is a common complication of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), and it can be associated with aneurysmal growth. This pilot study used 4-dimensional flow-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (4D-flow) to assess the hemodynamics of different types of endoleaks (I-IV).
Methods and results: Magnetic resonance angiography, 4D-flow, and computed tomography angiography (CTA) were performed in 31 patients after nitinol-based stent-graft deployment. With 4D-flow, the 3D streamlines of endoleaks appear as integrated traces along the instantaneous velocity vector field that are color-coded according to the local velocity magnitude of the leak. The 4D-flow analysis identified endoleaks in 18 patients (58.1%), whereas CTA identified endoleaks in 13 patients (41.9%). The 4D-flow analysis created a characteristic image of each type of endoleak. Among patients with endoleaks, 4D-flow identified concomitant multiple endoleaks in 7 (39%) patients, and it further differentiated type II endoleaks from type IIa endoleaks (to-and-fro biphasic flow pattern from a branch vessel) and from type IIb endoleaks (monophasic flow pattern with a connection between the inflow and outflow branches).
Conclusions: The 4D-flow analysis was more sensitive than CTA for detecting an endoleak, and it could subclassify type II endoleaks. In addition, 4D-flow differentiated between concomitant endoleak types in a single patient. (Circ J 2016; 80: 1715-1725).