Contrast-enhanced thoracic 3D-MR angiography in infants and children.

Purpose: To optimise breath-hold contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA) in infants and children with suspected congenital heart or thoracic vessel malformation.Material and Methods: Thirty-nine children (median age 1 year) were examined, using five different ultrafast MRA sequences with a TR between 3.2 and 5.0 ms and the contrast agent meglumine gadoterate. A test injection was used to determine contrast travel time. Different parameters for contrast injection were evaluated. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements were performed and image quality and injection timing were evaluated.Results: MRA was successful in all patients and image quality was considered very good in 52%. Adequate SNR was achieved with no significant differences between the MR sequences. SNR decreased only 25-30% between subsequent scans. The mean contrast dose was 0.23 mmol/kg. The mean scan time was 12.5 +/- 3.8 s; the shorter scan times made dynamic examinations possible with high temporal resolution. Highest spatial resolution was obtained with TR 4.6/5.0 sequences.Conclusion: A contrast dose of 0.2 mmol/kg b.w. is recommended with an injection rate of 0.5 to 1.2 ml/s, depending on patient size and scan time. The scan delay time should equal the contrast travel time for optimal vessel enhancement. In the future, contrast-enhanced MRA may be a potential alternative to angiocardiography in infants and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Radiologica is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)