Contrast-enhanced MR angiography and digital subtraction angiography in living renal donors: diagnostic agreement, impact on decision making, and costs.

Abstract

The objective of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic agreement, the impact on decision making, and the costs of contrast-enhanced MR angiography and digital subtraction angiography in the workup of living renal donors. Contrast-enhanced MR angiography for the preoperative evaluation of renal donors is superior to digital subtraction angiography in revealing vascular anomalies and depicting parenchymal abnormalities and is less costly; furthermore, it does not lead to preoperative decisions that differ from those based on digital subtraction angiography. If contrast-enhanced MR angiography does not provide sufficient information to make a confident decision, an additional digital subtraction angiography examination should be performed.