MRA techniques without contrast address NSF fears

Noncontrast MR angiography sequences could one day replace conventional contrast-enhanced MRA for evaluation of major arteries and veins of the thoracic region. They may provide an alternative for patients who risk developing nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and other contrast-related complications.

Dr. Anderanik Tomasian, a radiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues enrolled 30 consecutive patients with known or suspected disease who underwent free-breathing ECG-gated steady-state free precession noncontrast MRA and high-resolution 3D contrast-enhanced MRA of the thorax, both at 1.5T. They found that noncontrast MRA allowed diagnosis of aortic thrombosis, dilatation, coarctation, and dissection as well as diagnosis of superior and inferior vena cava conditions. Total scanning time with this sequence ranged from five to 10 minutes.

Tomasian presented the data at the 2007 North American Society for Cardiac Imaging meeting in Washington, DC.