US and MRI/MRA cooperation in children extensive facial haemangiomas diagnostics

Purpose: The diagnostic competences of ultrasonography (US) and magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) with magnetic-resonance angiography (MRA) in children extensive facial haemangiomas (CEFH) evaluation.

Materials & methods: 72 patients from 2 weeks till 17 years old with CEFH were undergone US and MRI/MRA.

Results: US allowed evaluating CEFH organotopic parameters, morphological structure variants, haemodynamic parameters – blood flow rate and intensity. US main advantages: simplicity and rapidity in receiving of important clinical information; safety; often repetition possibility for he dynamic control of treatment efficiency. US main disadvantages: related subjectivity; inaccessibility of deep facial regions and intracranial vessels evaluation. MRI/MRA made it possible to evaluate CEFH volume and morphological structure. MRI/MRA advantages: precise definition of CEFH spreading; precise identification of CEFH blood supplying sources (including small collateral vessels); opportunity of intracranial and contralateral extracranial vessels examination (in 29 patients MRI/MRA shown intracranial vessels abnormalities and in 11 patients – intracranial vessels malformations). MRI/MRA disadvantages: impossibility of the haemodynamic parameters evaluation; long examination time; narcosis necessity in young patients examination.

Conclusion: US and MRI/MRA are important complementary methods of CEFH diagnostics. US is useful for haemodynamic parameters evaluation and for dynamic control of CEFH condition during/after treatment. MRI/MRA has a priority in CEFH precise topical, blood supplying sources identification, deep facial regions and intracranial vessels evaluation. So, MRI/MRA should be the basic method of CEFH diagnostics and US must be the method of CEFH local status examination and operative dynamic control of CEFH treatment efficiency.