Contrast agents for cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging: an overview

Abstract

Contrast agents for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) play a major role in research and clinical cardiology.

Magnetic Nanoplatelets for High Contrast Cardiovascular Imaging by Magnetically Modulated Optical Coherence Tomography

“…Figure (a) shows the T 2 cross sectional images of vials filled with PBS and with suspensions of BaFe‐NPLTs in PBS at different concentrations. As can be observed, they provide a negative contrast, as happens with other magnetic nanoparticles . The inverse of the T 2 time extracted from MRI images as a function of the Fe concentration is plotted in Figure (b).…”

Multispectral optoacoustic tomography of lipid and hemoglobin contrast in human carotid atherosclerosis

“…Current imaging techniques, such as US, CTA and MRI, attempt to provide thorough plaque assessment to detect the ‘rupture-prone’ plaque, which may cause ischemic stroke. However, abovementioned techniques come with limitations which hinder their disseminated use [ [4] , [5] , [6] ].…”

“…Such parameters include the grade of stenosis, arterial wall remodelling, presence of a large lipid core and a thin fibrous cap, inflammation, intraplaque hemorrhage or neovascularization and nodular calcifications [ 3 ]. Nevertheless, current radiological modalities may require: i) the intravenous administration of possibly toxic contrast agents, ii) long examination times or iii) bulky and expensive infrastructure, all characteristics not suited for highly disseminated use [ [4] , [5] , [6] ].…”

Polymeric nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of myocardial infarction: Challenges and future prospects

“…Moreover, conventional contrast agents have several limitations such as low specificity, inconsistencies, and safety concerns. Due to their non-targeted nature, conventional contrast agents are passively absorbed into the damaged regions of the myocardium which translates into an enhancement that is not specific to MI but can be caused by other pathologies which may lead to misinterpretation and misdiagnosis [ 32 ]. Also, these gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents offer suboptimal reproducibility in the assessment and quantification of the infarct size [ 32 ].…”

“…Due to their non-targeted nature, conventional contrast agents are passively absorbed into the damaged regions of the myocardium which translates into an enhancement that is not specific to MI but can be caused by other pathologies which may lead to misinterpretation and misdiagnosis [ 32 ]. Also, these gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents offer suboptimal reproducibility in the assessment and quantification of the infarct size [ 32 ]. Gd-based contrast agents are also labeled as unsafe for use in patients with renal disease as they have been linked to a rare but severe medical condition termed “nephrogenic systemic fibrosis” [ 33 ].…”