Artifact-free coronary magnetic resonance angiography and coronary vessel wall imaging in the presence of a new, metallic, coronary magnetic resonance imaging stent.
BACKGROUND
Coronary in-stent restenosis cannot be directly assessed by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) because of the local signal void of currently used stainless steel stents. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of a new, dedicated, coronary MR imaging (MRI) stent for artifact-free, coronary MRA and in-stent lumen and vessel wall visualization.


RESULTS
Fifteen prototype stents were deployed in coronary arteries of 15 healthy swine and investigated with a double-oblique, navigator-gated, free-breathing, T2-prepared, 3D cartesian gradient-echo sequence; a T2-prepared, 3D spiral gradient-echo sequence; and a T2-prepared, 3D steady-state, free-precession coronary MRA sequence. Furthermore, black-blood vessel wall imaging by a dual-inversion-recovery, turbo spin-echo sequence was performed. Artifacts of the stented vessel segment and signal intensities of the coronary vessel lumen inside and outside the stent were assessed. With all investigated sequences, the vessel lumen and wall could be visualized without artifacts, including the stented vessel segment. No signal intensity alterations inside the stent when compared with the vessel lumen outside the stent were found.


CONCLUSIONS
The new, coronary MRI stent allows for completely artifact-free coronary MRA and vessel wall imaging.
Spuentrup
Elmar
E
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Technical University of Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
Ruebben
Alexander
A
Mahnken
Andreas
A
Stuber
Matthias
M
Kölker
Christian
C
Nguyen
Trung Hieu
TH
Günther
Rolf W
RW
Buecker
Arno
A
D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010165:Palladium / Q000737:chemistry; D010984:Platinum / Q000737:chemistry; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry; D015607:Stents / Q000145:classification*; D013552:Swine
D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D012834:Silver; D010984:Platinum; D010165:Palladium; D006046:Gold; D003300:Copper