The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the pre- and postoperative evaluation of patients with tetralogy of Fallot. Twenty patients aged 1 to 29 years were prospectively evaluated with black-blood and contrast-enhanced angiographic techniques, 11 with the classic form of tetralogy of Fallot and 9 with tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia. MRI studies provided adequate visualization of the aorta that was classified as dilated or not dilated, and definition of its position in all cases. The use of contrast-enhanced MR angiographic techniques provided excellent imaging of the main right and left pulmonary arteries. The results suggest that MRI, including contrast-enhanced angiography techniques, is a useful tool in the evaluation of patients with tetralogy of Fallot before and after cardiac surgery since it provides important anatomical information that is not always obtained with echocardiography. MRI can be considered an alternative to cardiac catheterization, particularly in the evaluation of the pulmonary vascular anatomy.

Keywords: Tetralogy of Fallot, Magnetic resonance imaging, Congenital heart diseases, Infants, Children, Adolescents