Coronary arteries at 3.0 T: Contrast-enhanced magnetization-prepared three-dimensional breathhold MR angiography

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of contrast-enhanced coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) at 3.0 T. Materials and Methods: Nine healthy human volunteers were studied on a 3.0-T whole-body MR system. A three-dimensional, breathhold, magnetization-prepared, segmented, gradient-echo sequence was used, with injection of 20 mL gadopentetate dimeglumine for each three-dimensional slab. Imaging parameters were optimized based on computer simulations. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), depicted coronary artery length, lumen diameter, and imaging sharpness with contrast agent were evaluated. SNR and CNR were compared to the results from a previous 1.5-T study. Results: A 53% increment in SNR and a 305% enhancement in CNR were measured with contrast. Vessel length and sharpness depicted were higher and the lumen diameter was lower (all P values < 0.05) in postcontrast images. Compared to previous results from 1.5-T, the SNR, CNR, and vessel sharpness were enhanced at 3.0 T with higher spatial resolution. Conclusion: Contrast-enhanced, three-dimensional, coronary MRA at 3.0 T is a promising technique for diagnosing coronary artery diseases. Patient studies are necessary to evaluate its clinical utility.