Clinical utility of contrast-enhanced MR angiography

Abstract

MR angiography (MRA) is a technique under ongoing discussion. Its non-invasiveness and sensitivity to flow irregularities make it an investigational technique which is easy to apply but which does not always lead to comprehensive results. It requires special skill to perform and also experience for correct interpretation of the results. The lengthiness of the procedure combined with certain physical properties tends to limit its use to mostly neurovascular applications. With the introduction of ultrafast MRA in conjunction with peripheral bolus-injection of extracellular contrast media, a new approach to the imaging of such regions as the thoracic and abdominal vasculature not to mention other vascular territories has become possible. In this paper, considerations of bolus and measurement optimization and timing protocols for dedicated indications are presented together with an overview on the experience acquired to date for CE-MRA of the carotid artery, mediastinal and pulmonary vessels, abdominal vasculature, and peripheral vessels. The main advantage of ultrafast CE-MRA is that patients are subjected to much more tolerable breath-hold investigations with the result that physiological motion such as peristalsis or major pulsation is minimised.

Expression of p53 and human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8)-encoded latency-associated nuclear antigen with inhibition of apoptosis in HHV-8-associated malignancies

“…This was followed by a saline flush of 30 mL injected at the same rate. The timing of bolus injection and data acquisition was determined by a bolus test sequence acquired before the CE‐MRA (24).…”

25th Anniversary of European Radiology

“…However, there may be problems due to multi-directional and turbulent flow. In 1997, Bongartz et al addressed the clinical utility of the then recently introduced contrast-enhanced MR angiography [18]. Combining an ultrafast 3D TOF sequence with the first-pass effect of an extracellular contrast medium was able to generate high-quality angiograms.…”

MRA of abdominal vessels: technical advances

“…Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has evolved into a standard clinical examination for the evaluation of the abdominal aorta and its main branches [1][2][3]. The main advantages of MRA are its non-invasiveness, the lacking nephrotoxicity of the applied gadolinium (Gd)-chelates, the combination of morphologic and functional information in a single examination and the high spatial resolution (HR) of the three-dimensional (3D)-data sets.…”