PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility of Clariscan, an intravascular contrast agent, for free breathing, navigator assisted, high resolution, three-dimensional-magnetic resonance coronary angiography (MRCA) in patients, as extracellular contrast agents are unfavorable for the improvement of image quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRCA was performed in 10 patients with known coronary artery disease (CAD) with (1-5 mg Fe/kg body weight) and without contrast agent. RESULTS: Compared to unenhanced images, Clariscan did not improve signal-to-noise (SNR) or contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) compared to fat or myocardium in the proximal parts of the coronary arteries. However, when analyzing the peripheral parts (>4 cm from origin), CNR(fat) and CNR(myo) improved up to a factor of 1.81 and 5.85, respectively, at a dose of 3 mg Fe/kg body weight, while SNR did not reach statistical significance. The visible length of the coronary arteries was improved from 49 +/- 18 mm to 73 +/- 33 mm. The proximal diameter was reduced from 3.6 +/- 0.8mm to 3.2 +/- 0.8 mm, representing more closely the diameter of 3.1 +/- 0.7 mm measured by quantitative coronary angiography. Of 11 significant stenoses (>50%), eight were identified in the enhanced compared to six in the unenhanced images. CONCLUSION: The use of Clariscan at a dose of 2-3 mg Fe/kg body weight improves image quality of three-dimensional-MRCA, especially in the peripheral segments, and, thus, the diagnostic accuracy for the detection of CAD. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility of Clariscan, an intravascular contrast agent, for free breathing, navigator assisted, high resolution, three-dimensional-magnetic resonance coronary angiography (MRCA) in patients, as extracellular contrast agents are unfavorable for the improvement of image quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRCA was performed in 10 patients with known coronary artery disease (CAD) with (1-5 mg Fe/kg body weight) and without contrast agent. RESULTS: Compared to unenhanced images, Clariscan did not improve signal-to-noise (SNR) or contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) compared to fat or myocardium in the proximal parts of the coronary arteries. However, when analyzing the peripheral parts (>4 cm from origin), CNR(fat) and CNR(myo) improved up to a factor of 1.81 and 5.85, respectively, at a dose of 3 mg Fe/kg body weight, while SNR did not reach statistical significance. The visible length of the coronary arteries was improved from 49 +/- 18 mm to 73 +/- 33 mm. The proximal diameter was reduced from 3.6 +/- 0.8mm to 3.2 +/- 0.8 mm, representing more closely the diameter of 3.1 +/- 0.7 mm measured by quantitative coronary angiography. Of 11 significant stenoses (>50%), eight were identified in the enhanced compared to six in the unenhanced images. CONCLUSION: The use of Clariscan at a dose of 2-3 mg Fe/kg body weight improves image quality of three-dimensional-MRCA, especially in the peripheral segments, and, thus, the diagnostic accuracy for the detection of CAD. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Authors: Thomas Thouet; Bernhard Schnackenburg; Thomas Kokocinski; Eckart Fleck; Eike Nagel; Sebastian Kelle Journal: ScientificWorldJournal Date: 2012-03-12