Abstract
To investigate dynamic coronary MR angiography using hyperpolarized water as a positive contrast agent. Hyperpolarization can increase the signal by several orders of magnitude, and has recently been translated to human cardiac application. The aim was to achieve large 1 H signal enhancement to allow high-resolution imaging of the coronary arteries. Protons in D2 O were hyperpolarized by dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization. A total of 18 mL of hyperpolarized water was injected into the coronary arteries of healthy pigs (N = 9; 3 injections in 3 animals). The MRI images were acquired with a gradient-echo sequence in an oblique slab covering the main left coronary arteries with 0.55 mm in-plane resolution. The acquisition time was 870 ms per frame. A more than 200-fold signal enhancement compared with thermally polarized water at 3 T was obtained. Coronary angiographic images with a signal-to-noise ratio from the left main stem of 269 ± 169 and coronary sharpness from the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery of 0.31 ± 0.086 mm-1 were obtained. Dynamic images were acquired over a 10 s time window. Hyperpolarized water MR angiography of the coronary arteries in a large animal model with high signal-to-noise ratio and high spatial and temporal resolution was obtained. Magn Reson Med, 2018. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Info
Journal Article, 2018
UN SDG Classification
DK Main Research Area
Science/Technology
