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First‐pass and steady‐state magnetic resonance angiography of the thoracic vasculature using gadofosveset trisodium
Author(s) -
Naehle Claas P.,
Müller Andreas,
Willinek Winfried A.,
Meyer Carsten,
Hestermann Tobias,
Gieseke Juergen,
Schild Hans,
Thomas Daniel
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.21919
Subject(s) - magnetic resonance angiography , medicine , nuclear medicine , image quality , magnetic resonance imaging , radiology , angiography , artificial intelligence , computer science , image (mathematics)
Purpose To compare a high‐resolution, ECG‐gated, motion‐compensated, steady‐state magnetic resonance angiography (SS‐MRA) of the thoracic vasculature to standard first‐pass MRA (FP‐MRA) using a blood‐pool contrast agent (gadofosveset trisodium). Materials and Methods In all, 25 patients ≥18 years with congenital or acquired disease of the thoracic vasculature, who underwent both FP‐MRA and SS‐MRA, were retrospectively identified. Diameters of left superior pulmonary vein (LSPV), left pulmonary artery (LPA), and aortic arch (AA) were measured. Image quality for LSPV, LPA, AA, coronary ostia, and coronary sinus were assessed. Vessel sharpness of LPA and LSPV and contrast ratio (CR) of LSPV, LPA, and AA were calculated. Results SS‐MRA yielded significantly higher image quality for all vessels, and significantly higher vessel sharpness for LSPV and LPA compared to the FP‐MRA. SS‐MRA revealed lower intra‐ and interobserver variability for vessel diameters compared with the FP‐MRA. The FP‐MRA showed higher CR compared to the SS‐MRA. Conclusion Motion‐compensated high‐resolution SS‐MRA of the thoracic vasculature using gadofosveset trisodium offers superior image quality compared to standard FP‐MRA. Although SS‐MRA delivers no dynamic information it may prove specifically helpful as an add‐on to FP‐MRA for imaging of small vascular structures. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;30:809–816. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.