Equilibrium-phase MR angiography of the aortoiliac and renal arteries using a blood pool contrast agent

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic useful ness of a new blood pool contrast agent, NC100150, for assessing the aortoi liac and renal arteries. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Twenty patients with hemodynamically significant sten osis (greater than or equal to 50% of luminal diameter) of the iliac or ren al arteries or an aortic aneurysm documented by digital subtraction angiogr aphy underwent MR angiography at 1.5 T after administration of NC100150. Th ree-dimensional MR angiographic data sets were collected in the equilibrium phase. In a prospective analysis, each Vascular segment (16 segments per a rterial tree) was evaluated. RESULTS. All patients tolerated the NC100150 administration well, Mean cont rast-to-noise ratios of the vascular data collected in the equilibrium phas e of NC100150 was 30.3 +/- 15.9, Compared with digital subtraction angiogra phy, the sensitivity and specificity of MR angiography for the renal arteri es were 82% and 98%, respectively; for the common iliac arteries, 86% and 9 7%, respectively; for the external iliac arteries, 80% and 100%, respective ly; and for the internal iliac arteries, 71% and 97%, respectively, All 83 aneurysmal changes revealed by digital subtraction angiograpy of the aortoi liac arteries were well displayed on the MR angiographic data sets. CONCLUSION. Equilibrium-phase NC100150-enhanced three-dimensional MR angiog raphy shows high specificity when evaluating the abdominal and pelvic vascu lar systems, but the attendant venous overlap can limit the assessment of s tenosis in renal and pelvic arterial segments.