Tantalum vascular stents: in vivo evaluation with MR imaging

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 1.5 T was performed on tantalum vascular stents placed in the aortas of six dogs. The stents produced no significant artifact and allowed for clear depiction of the aortic lumina as flow-void zones with spin-echo imaging and as high-signal areas with gradient-echo imaging. The MR findings correlated with the angiographic studies of the stented vessels. These results demonstrate the feasibility of MR imaging as a noninvasive means of evaluating vessel patency in the presence of tantalum vascular stents.