Contrast agent-enhanced, free-breathing, three-dimensional coronary magnetic resonance angiography

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Abstract
For free‐breathing, high‐resolution, three‐dimensional coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), the use of intravascular contrast agents may be helpful for contrast enhancement between coronary blood and myocardium. In six patients, 0.1 mmol/kg of the intravascular contrast agent MS‐325/AngioMARK™ was given intravenously followed by double‐oblique, free‐breathing, three‐dimensional inversion‐recovery coronary MRA with real‐time navigator gating and motion correction. Contrast‐enhanced, three‐dimensional coronary MRA images were compared with images obtained with a T2 prepulse (T2Prep) without exogenous contrast. The contrast‐enhanced images demonstrated a 69% improvement in the contrast‐to‐noise ratio (6.6 ± 1.1 vs. 11.1 ± 2.5; P < 0.01) compared with the T2Prep approach. By using the intravascular agent, extensive portions (> 80 mm) of the native left and right coronary system could be displayed consistently with sub‐millimeter in‐plane resolution. The intravascular contrast agent, MS‐325/AngioMARK™, leads to a considerable enhancement of the blood/muscle contrast for coronary MRA compared with T2Prep techniques. The clinical value of the agent remains to be defined in a larger patient series. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;10:790–799.