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Updated: Aug 23, 2026
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
Published on: June 11, 2019
Magnetic resonance imaging of myocardial perfusion and viability using a blood pool contrast agent
Marc Dewey1, Nicola Kaufels, Michael Laule
1Department of Radiology, Charité, Medical School of the Freie Universität and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany. marc.dewey@charite.de
Insights
Blood pool contrast agents (BPCAs) effectively image myocardial perfusion and viability in pigs with myocardial infarction. This finding supports their use in comprehensive cardiac MR examinations for improved diagnostic accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Contrast Agent Development
Background:
- Comprehensive cardiac MR examinations require imaging of myocardial perfusion, viability, and coronary arteries.
- Blood pool contrast agents (BPCAs) enhance coronary MR angiography, but their utility for perfusion and viability imaging is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the noninvasive imaging capabilities of the BPCA P792 for myocardial perfusion and viability in a porcine model of nonreperfused myocardial infarction.
Main Methods:
- Myocardial perfusion and viability imaging were performed on a 1.5-T MR scanner in pigs using extracellular contrast agents (ECCA) Gd-DOTA and the BPCA P792.
- Imaging techniques included saturation-recovery steady-state free precession for perfusion and inversion-recovery fast low-angle shot for viability.
Main Results:
- The BPCA P792 demonstrated strong correlation with ECCA for visualizing perfusion defects (r = 0.959) and myocardial infarction size (r = 0.994).
- BPCA P792 allowed for extended visualization of perfusion defects up to 10 minutes, compared to ECCA's 80-second detection window.
- Reliable detection of perfusion defects and characterization of myocardial viability were achieved using the BPCA.
Conclusions:
- The investigated BPCA (P792) is suitable for comprehensive cardiac MR examinations.
- This BPCA enables reliable detection of perfusion defects and characterization of myocardial viability post-infarction.
Rationale And Objectives:
A comprehensive cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) examination should comprise imaging of myocardial perfusion, viability, and the coronary arteries. Blood pool contrast agents (BPCAs) improve coronary MR angiography, whereas their potential for imaging of perfusion and viability is unknown. The abilities to noninvasively image myocardial perfusion and viability using the BPCA P792 (Guerbet, France) were tested in a closed-chest model of nonreperfused myocardial infarction in 5 pigs.
Materials And Methods:
Two to 3 days after instrumentation, myocardial perfusion imaging with a saturation-recovery steady-state free precession technique and viability imaging with an inversion-recovery fast low-angle shot sequence were conducted on a 1.5-T MR scanner using the extracellular contrast agents (ECCA) Gd-DOTA (0.1 mmol Gd/kg) and blood pool contrast agent (BPCA) P792 (0.013 mmol Gd/kg).
Results:
Perfusion defects were visualized in all pigs with good correlation between the ECCA and the BPCA (1.77 +/- 1.16 cm2 vs. 1.80 +/- 1.19 cm2, r = 0.959, P < 0.01). Reduced myocardial perfusion was detected using the ECCA up to 80 seconds after injection. In contrast, BPCA administration enabled visualization of perfusion defects on equilibrium perfusion imaging in all cases for 10 minutes. The size of myocardial infarction detected with viability MR imaging correlated well between the standard method (ECCA) and delayed-enhancement imaging with the BPCA (5.40 +/- 3.16 versus 5.52 +/- 3.13 cm3, r = 0.994, P < 0.002).
Conclusions:
The BPCA investigated in this study allows both reliable detection of perfusion defects on first pass and equilibrium perfusion imaging and characterization of viability after myocardial infarction. Thus, this contrast agent is suitable for a comprehensive cardiac MR examination.
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