High-resolution magnetic resonance coronary angiography of the entire heart using a new blood-pool agent, NC100150 injection: comparison with invasive x-ray angiography in pigs.

Recent developments of novel magnetic resonance intravascular contrast agents with low T1 in blood and a long intravascular half-life will rapidly position magnetic resonance coronary angiography (MRCA) at the threshold of clinical application. This article describes the use of one such intravascular contrast agent for noninvasive coronary angiography and comparison with routine invasive x-ray angiography. Six domestic farm pigs with an artificial stenoses at the left circumflex were studied. NC100150 Injection, a new ultra-small superparmagnetic iron oxide (Nycomed Amersham Imaging, Oslo, Norway), was injected using a dose of 5.0 mg Fe/kg body weight. Scanning was done using a 1.5-T Gyroscan ACS-NT. A high-resolution electrocardiogram-triggered scan covering the entire heart was applied. Navigator echoes were used for respiratory triggering. In all animals the location of the stenoses detected with MRCA correlated well with x-ray angiography. The correlation factor between the grade of stenoses determined by MRCA and x-ray angiography was 0.993. MRCA using NC100150 Injection can depict the major coronary arteries and branches well. Decreases in vessel caliber detected by MRCA correlate well with x-ray angiography. The use of such intravascular contrast agents show great promise for clinical applications for noninvasive detection of coronary artery disease in humans.