Contrast agents for MRA: Future directions

The purpose of this review is to outline recent developments in contrast ag ents for magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and to give some idea of what the future might hold, Up to now, non-binding gadolinium (Gd) chelates hav e been the agents used for MRA, Modified paramagnetic Gd-based agents with varying degrees of protein interaction have been developed, and these, toge ther with new superparamagnetic compounds, are currently under clinical eva luation, It Is likely that two different types of contrast agent will soon be available: extracellular agents for first-pass MRA and intravascular age nts mainly for steady-state MRA, Several agents also exhibit certain tissue specific properties in addition to conventional extracellular properties. This will lead to more comprehensive imaging approaches. (C) 1999 Wiley-Lis s, Inc.