The emerging role of ferumoxytol-enhanced MRI in the management of cerebrovascular lesions.
Inflammation is increasingly being understood to be a key component to the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular lesions. Ferumoxytol, an iron oxide nanoparticle coated by a carbohydrate shell, has been used in MRI studies as an inflammatory marker because it is cleared by macrophages. Ferumoxytol-enhanced MRI has emerged as an important tool for noninvasive assessment of the inflammatory status of cerebrovascular lesions, namely aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations. Moreover, preliminary evidence suggests that ferumoxytol-enhanced MRI could be applied as a non-invasive tool to differentiate "unstable" lesions that require early intervention from "stable" lesions in which observation may be safe. Assessment of the effects of anti-inflammatory pharmacological interventions on cerebrovascular lesions is also a potentially crucial application of the technique. Future improvements in technique and MRI signal quantification will certainly pave the way for widespread and efficient use of ferumoxytol-enhanced MRI in clinical practice. In this paper, we review current data regarding ferumoxytol-enhanced MRI and discuss its current/potential applications and future perspectives.
Department of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
Nohra
N
Chalouhi
Pascal
P
Jabbour
Vincent
V
Magnotta
David
D
Hasan
D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry
D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; C000499:ferric oxide; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide