title: Coronary artery imaging using contrast-enhanced 3D segmented EPI.
abstract: The purpose of the work was to evaluate the effectiveness of extracellular contrast media in improving MR coronary angiography using breath-hold segmented echo-planar imaging (SEPI). Two protocols were designed to optimize the inversion recovery-prepared contrast-enhanced SEPI method. In 15 healthy volunteers, significant improvements in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), vessel sharpness, and length of visualization were observed post-contrast. The method with two targeted scans to cover the left and right arteries, respectively, following separate 20-mL contrast injections, was found to yield thinner slices and longer right coronary artery (RCA) visualization than a single scan following a 40-mL contrast injection without compromising SNR and CNR. In conclusion, extracellular contrast media substantially improves the delineation of coronary arteries with SEPI. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2001;13:676-681.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Deshpande
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Wielopolski
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003287:Contrast Media; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D006571:Heterocyclic Compounds; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D006571:Heterocyclic Compounds; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; C062402:gadoteridol; D005682:Gadolinium