Three-dimensional MRI of coronary arteries using an intravascular contrast agent

Magn Reson Med. 1998 Jun;39(6):1014-8. doi: 10.1002/mrm.1910390621.

Abstract

To assess the effectiveness of an intravascular contrast agent, MS-325, for enhancing the vascular signal in coronary MR angiograms, six minipigs were studied using a three-dimensional, gradient-echo sequence with retrospective respiratory gating. To suppress the myocardial signal, preparatory RF pulses were applied before data acquisition. With the administration of MS-325, the blood signal-to-noise ratio increased by 97-276%, depending on the region of interest in which the blood signal was measured and the precontrast imaging sequence structures. The blood/myocardium contrast-to-noise ratio also significantly increased. High-resolution images (0.58 x 0.58 x 1 mm3) obtained from postmortem pig hearts demonstrated the potential delineation of coronary arteries with MS-325. In conclusion, this study supports further evaluation of the utility of MS-325 in improving coronary MR angiography in humans.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Contrast Media*
  • Coronary Vessels / anatomy & histology*
  • Gadolinium
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / instrumentation*
  • Injections, Intravenous
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / instrumentation*
  • Organometallic Compounds*
  • Swine
  • Swine, Miniature

Substances

  • Contrast Media
  • Organometallic Compounds
  • Gadolinium
  • gadofosveset trisodium