[Experimental evaluation of superparamagnetic iron oxide particles in pulmonary MR angiography].
OBJECTIVE
Initial experimental results of contrast-enhanced pulmonary MR angiography using the new superparamagnetic iron oxide blood pool agent FeO-BPA.


METHODS
Pulmonary MRA was performed in 7 domestic pigs using a cardiac-triggered coronal T1-weighted FFE-Sequence before and up to 90 minutes after contrast injection obtained on a 1.5 T magnet with a standard gradient equipment. A dose of 4 mg Fe/kg bodyweight was used for MRA. The images were qualitatively assessed and compared with X-ray i.v.-DSA.


RESULTS
The injection of FeO-BPA allows the acquisition of unsaturated in-plane images of the pulmonary vascular tree down to the first order subsegmental branches including vessel diameters of approximately 1.5 mm. In the normal non-occluded vasculature, no signal void is seen in the TE range of 2.8-5.5 ms secondary to exceeding susceptibility effects which are caused by the iron oxide accumulation. Even 90 minutes after injection of FeO-BPA, assessment of the pulmonary vasculature is still satisfactory.


CONCLUSIONS
In the animal experiment, the use of the blood pool agent FeO-BPA provides detailed pulmonary angiograms even on a magnet with a conventional gradient system. The major advantage is the comfortable diagnostic window of > 1.5 hours which also portends its utility for future MR-guided pulmonary interventions.
Nolte-Ernsting
C
C
Klinik für Radiologische Diagnostik, Universitätsklinikum, RWTH Aachen.
Adam
G
G
Bücker
A
A
Berges
S
S
Bjørnerud
A
A
Günther
R W
RW
D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013552:Swine
D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; C000499:ferric oxide
Experimentelle Erprobung superparamagnetischer Eisenoxidnanopartikel für die MR-Pulmonalisangiographie. nolte@rad.rwth-aachen.de