Vascular anomalies comprise a wide and heterogeneous group of lesions that may be found in all parts of the body, with most of the cases of vascular malformations involving the head and neck region. Ultrasound (US) is the reliable first-line imaging technique to assess flow parameters. However, in some cases, US fails to depict the real extent of the lesions. On the other hand, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows the evaluation of the full extension and anatomic relationship of the vascular anomalies with the neighboring structures and provides hemodynamic characterization using dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), avoiding unnecessary invasive catheter-based procedures. DCE-MRI angiography can make a distinction between low and high flow vascular anomalies and it is useful for selecting adequate therapy and appreciating prognosis. The aim of this paper is to review the role of DCE -MRI in the evaluation of flow characteristics and lesion extent in vascular anomalies of the head and neck region.

中文翻译：

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动态对比增强磁共振成像在头颈部血管病变诊断和治疗中的作用。

血管异常包括可能在身体各个部位发现的广泛且异质的病变组，其中大多数血管畸形病例涉及头颈部区域。超声 (US) 是评估流量参数的可靠的一线成像技术。然而，在某些情况下，US 无法描述病变的真实范围。另一方面，磁共振成像 (MRI) 允许评估血管异常与邻近结构的完整延伸和解剖关系，并使用动态对比增强 MRI (DCE-MRI) 提供血流动力学特征，避免不必要的基于导管的侵入性程序。DCE-MRI 血管造影可以区分低流量和高流量血管异常，有助于选择适当的治疗方法和评估预后。