Pulmonary MR angiography with contrast agent at 4 Tesla: A preliminary result

Hidemasa Uematsu, Lawrence Dougherty, Masaya Takahashi, Yoshiharu Ohno, Masashi Nakatsu, Hee Kwon Song, Victor A. Ferrari, Warren B. Gefter, Mitchell D. Schnall, Hiroto Hatabu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this study, pulmonary MR angiography (MRA) using a tailored coil at 4 Tesla in conjunction with an intravenous injection of contrast agent is described. Three-dimensional gradient-echo images were obtained during the intravenous injection of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 mmol/kg body weight of gadodiamide to investigate the signal enhancement effect of the contrast agent in pulmonary arteries qualitatively and quantitatively. In the qualitative analysis, the subsegmental branches were visualized on every dose. In the quantitative analysis, the average contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of the main pulmonary arteries increased in a dose-dependent manner. However, the CNRs of segmental arteries did not increase as the dose of contrast agent increased, as observed at 1.5 Tesla MRI. These observations demonstrate the feasibility of delineating the pulmonary vasculature using a contrast agent; however, our results also suggest possible high-field-related disabilities that need to be overcome before high-field (≥4 Tesla) MRI can be used to full advantage.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1028-1030
Number of pages3
JournalMagnetic Resonance in Medicine
Volume46
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2001
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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