Gadofosveset trisodium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography of the left atrium—A feasibility study

Wagner, Moritz; Rief, Matthias; Asbach, Patrick; Vogtmann, Thomas; Huppertz, Alexander; Beling, Mark; Butler, Craig; Laule, Michael; Warmuth, Carsten; Taupitz, Matthias; Hamm, Bernd; Lembcke, Alexander

doi:10.1016/j.ejrad.2009.04.052

« Previous Next »European Journal of Radiology
Volume 75, Issue 2 , Pages 166-172, August 2010

Gadofosveset trisodium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography of the left atrium—A feasibility study

Moritz Wagner
- Department of Radiology, Charité – University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
- Corresponding author at: Department of Radiology, Charité – University Hospital, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany. Tel.: +49 30 450 627 359 fax: +49 30 450 527 911.
Matthias Rief
- Department of Radiology, Charité – University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
Patrick Asbach
- Department of Radiology, Charité – University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
Thomas Vogtmann
- Department of Cardioloy and Angiology, Charité – University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
Alexander Huppertz
- Imaging Science Institute Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Mark Beling
- Department of Cardioloy and Angiology, Charité – University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
Craig Butler
- Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Michael Laule
- Department of Cardioloy and Angiology, Charité – University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
Carsten Warmuth
- Department of Radiology, Charité – University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
Matthias Taupitz
- Department of Radiology, Charité – University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
Bernd Hamm
- Department of Radiology, Charité – University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
Alexander Lembcke
- Department of Radiology, Charité – University Hospital, Berlin, Germany

Received 14 January 2009; received in revised form 2 March 2009; accepted 21 April 2009.

Abstract

Aim

Imaging of the left atrium is regularly performed prior to pulmonary vein isolation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of contrast-enhanced high-resolution magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the left atrium using the blood-pool contrast agent gadofosveset trisodium in comparison to noncontrast MRA.

Materials and methods

Twenty consecutive patients were examined by free-breathing electrocardiogram-gated whole-heart MRA (reconstructed spatial resolution, 0.7mm×0.6mm×0.8mm) with a noncontrast T2-prepared steady state free precession sequence (T2-prep SSFP) and a gadofosveset trisodium-enhanced inversion-recovery SSFP sequence (CE IR-SSFP). Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of blood in the left atrium was determined. Depiction of the left atrium was rated by two radiologists in consensus. A cardiologist segmented the MR data sets and rated depiction of the left atrium.

Results

Five of 20 patients had irregular breathing patterns with navigator efficiency less than 35% and were excluded from evaluation. CNR was significantly higher for CE IR-SSFP compared with T2-prep SSFP (18.4±5.3 vs. 11.7±3.5, p<0.01). Depiction of the left atrium by T2-prep SSFP was rated as good in four patients, moderate in ten patients, and poor in one patient, whereas depiction of the left atrium by CE IR-SSFP was rated as excellent in nine patients, good in four patients, and moderate in two patients. CE IR-SSFP allowed for semiautomated segmentation of the left atrium in 15 patients, whereas T2-prep SSFP allowed for segmentation only in ten patients.