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Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography: first-pass arterial enhancement as a function of gadolinium-chelate concentration, and the saline chaser volume and injection rate.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Husarik, DB; Bashir, MR; Weber, PW; Nichols, EB; Howle, LE; Merkle, EM; Nelson, RC
Published in: Invest Radiol
February 2012

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the contrast medium (CM) concentration and the saline chaser volume and injection rate on first-pass aortic enhancement characteristics in contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography using a physiologic flow phantom. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Imaging was performed on a 3.0-T magnetic resonance system (MAGNETOM Trio, Siemens Healthcare Solutions, Inc, Erlangen, Germany) using a 2-dimensional fast low angle shot T1-weighted sequence (repetition time, 500 milliseconds; echo time, 1.23 milliseconds; flip angle, 8 degrees; 1 frame/s × 60 seconds). The following CM concentrations injected at 2 mL/s were used with 3 different contrast agents (gadolinium [Gd]-BOPTA, Gd-HP-DO3A, Gd-DTPA): 20 mL of undiluted CM (100%) and 80%, 40%, 20%, 10%, 5%, and 2.5% of the full amount, all diluted in saline to a volume of 20 mL to ensure equal bolus volume. The CM was followed by saline chasers of 20 to 60 mL injected at 2 mL/s and 6 mL/s. Aortic signal intensity (SI) was measured, and normalized SI versus time (SI/Tn) curves were generated. The maximal SI (SI(max)), bolus length, and areas under the SI/Tn curve were calculated. RESULTS: Decreasing the CM concentration from 100% to 40% resulted in a decrease of SI(max) to 86.1% (mean). Further decreasing the CM concentration to 2.5% decreased SI(max) to 5.1% (mean). Altering the saline chaser volume had no significant effect on SI(max). Increasing the saline chaser injection rate had little effect (mean increase, 2.2%) on SI(max) when using ≥40% of CM. There was a larger effect (mean increase, 19.6%) when ≤20% of CM were used. Bolus time length was significantly shorter (P < 0.001), and area under the SI/T(n) curve was significantly smaller (P < 0.01) for the CM protocols followed by a saline chaser injected at 6 mL/s compared with a saline chaser injected at 2 mL/s. CONCLUSION: With 40% of CM and a fast saline chaser, SImax close to that with undiluted CM can be achieved. An increased saline chaser injection rate has a more pronounced effect on aortic enhancement characteristics at lower CM concentrations than at higher CM concentrations.

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Published In

Invest Radiol

DOI

EISSN

1536-0210

Publication Date

February 2012

Volume

47

Issue

2

Start / End Page

121 / 127

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Sodium Chloride
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Phantoms, Imaging
  • Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
  • Magnetic Resonance Angiography
  • Injections, Intra-Arterial
  • Humans
  • Gadolinium
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
 

Citation

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MLA
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Husarik, D. B., Bashir, M. R., Weber, P. W., Nichols, E. B., Howle, L. E., Merkle, E. M., & Nelson, R. C. (2012). Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography: first-pass arterial enhancement as a function of gadolinium-chelate concentration, and the saline chaser volume and injection rate. Invest Radiol, 47(2), 121–127. https://doi.org/10.1097/RLI.0b013e3182300603
Husarik, Daniela B., Mustafa R. Bashir, Paul W. Weber, Eli B. Nichols, Laurens E. Howle, Elmar M. Merkle, and Rendon C. Nelson. “Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography: first-pass arterial enhancement as a function of gadolinium-chelate concentration, and the saline chaser volume and injection rate.Invest Radiol 47, no. 2 (February 2012): 121–27. https://doi.org/10.1097/RLI.0b013e3182300603.
Husarik, Daniela B., et al. “Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography: first-pass arterial enhancement as a function of gadolinium-chelate concentration, and the saline chaser volume and injection rate.Invest Radiol, vol. 47, no. 2, Feb. 2012, pp. 121–27. Pubmed, doi:10.1097/RLI.0b013e3182300603.

Published In

Invest Radiol

DOI

EISSN

1536-0210

Publication Date

February 2012

Volume

47

Issue

2

Start / End Page

121 / 127

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Sodium Chloride
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Phantoms, Imaging
  • Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
  • Magnetic Resonance Angiography
  • Injections, Intra-Arterial
  • Humans
  • Gadolinium
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug