Diagnostic Imaging of Vessel Anomalies: Portosystemic Shunts, Large Vessels and Fistulae

The topic of vascular disease, and particularly portosystemic shunting, continues to be both equally challenging and interesting to the radiology as well as the surgery community. New articles continue to be published and new approaches to diagnosis and therapy continue to be proposed and tested.

In view of the limited time available for the presentation, most of the comments included here will refer to portosystemic shunts, with some specific comments regarding fistulae and thrombosis included when relevant.

The aims of this presentation will be as follows:

• To critically answer the main question posed to radiologists when discussing the diagnosis of vascular anomalies: “which imaging modality to use?”.

• To highlight that there is no single absolute answer to that very question.

• To summarise the diagnostic imaging options available nowadays when trying to answer that question, using some clinical cases to highlight some of the challenges faced when assessing these patients.

The subject of vascular anomalies can be treated in very different ways depending on whether the presentation is given to a group of radiologists, a group of internists or a group of surgeons.

The main question for this presentation and in the clinical setting is:

“Which imaging modality to use?”  [...]