Aim:

Comparison of balanced steady state free precession Magnetic Resonance venography imaging and  Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of pelvic and lower extremity deep vein thrombosis.

Methods:

A diagnostic study  of 50 patients were carried in the Department of Radio–diagnosis, of a tertiary care centre. Patients with suspected deep venous thrombosis who were being evaluated by ultrasonography and Doppler were taken up for MRI.

Results:

Out of these 50 cases studied, 16 cases had Acute DVT, 21 cases  had chronic DVT and 4 cases had acute on chronic DVT while 9 cases were normal and did not have any DVT. There was 100% agreement between ultrasonography and MRV. In addition to this, there were 05 cases where DVT was identified by MRV in the contralateral limb which otherwise was not examined by the USG.

Conclusion :

Balanced–SSFP MR venography holds an important place for DVT evaluation and has the  potential as a highly accurate substitute for the diagnosis of DVT.