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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
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Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
Published on: June 11, 2019
Technical requirements, biophysical considerations and protocol optimization with magnetic resonance angiography
Martin Rohrer1, Liesbeth Geerts-Ossevoort, Gerhard Laub
1Business Unit Diagnostic Imaging, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Berlin, Germany. martin.rohrer@schering.de
European Radiology
|July 26, 2007
Summary
Optimizing contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography involves careful selection of hardware, contrast agents, and imaging techniques. Gadolinium agents, like gadofosveset trisodium, enhance vessel visualization by shortening T1 relaxation times.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
- Cardiovascular Imaging
Background:
- Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CEMRA) offers significant diagnostic potential.
- Optimizing CEMRA requires meticulous attention to hardware, data acquisition, processing, and contrast agent selection.
- Parallel-imaging techniques are commonly employed to reduce scan times and improve image quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the critical factors influencing the efficacy of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography.
- To highlight the role of contrast agents, particularly gadofosveset trisodium, in improving arterial visualization.
- To discuss advanced imaging techniques for optimal arterial depiction.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing parallel-imaging techniques (e.g., SENSE, GRAPPA) for faster data acquisition and reconstruction.
- Implementing precise timing of data acquisition to coincide with peak arterial contrast concentration.
- Employing gadolinium-based contrast agents to enhance blood signal and vessel-tissue differentiation.
Main Results:
- Gadolinium contrast agents, especially gadofosveset trisodium, significantly shorten T1 relaxation times, increasing signal-to-noise ratio.
- Gadofosveset trisodium exhibits enhanced relaxivity due to reversible protein binding, leading to a stronger T1 shortening effect.
- The prolonged blood retention time of gadofosveset trisodium allows for both first-pass and steady-state imaging.
Conclusions:
- Careful optimization of CEMRA parameters, including contrast agent choice, is essential for maximizing diagnostic benefits.
- Gadofosveset trisodium offers superior arterial enhancement and prolonged imaging windows compared to conventional agents.
- Advanced techniques like parallel imaging and precise timing are crucial for achieving optimal arterial depiction in CEMRA.
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