Radiology, Vol 153, 157-163, Copyright © 1984 by Radiological Society of North America

ARTICLES

Acute myocardial ischemia: magnetic resonance contrast enhancement with gadolinium-DTPA

MT McNamara, CB Higgins, RL Ehman, D Revel, R Sievers and RC Brasch

Gadolinium-DTPA (Gd-DTPA) was used to improve the diagnostic utility of magnetic resonance (MR) in detecting early ischemia, before the onset of infarction. Following one minute of left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion, 9 dogs were intravenously injected with either 0.5 mM/kg of Gd-DTPA (6 dogs) or normal saline (3 dogs). One more minute was allowed for perfusion of injectate prior to cardiectomy and MR imaging of the ex situ heart. There was no visible difference in intensity or alterations in magnetic relaxation times between normal and ischemic myocardium in the control (saline-injected) animals. The Gd-DTPA-injected dogs had a well-defined segment of high intensity representing the ischemic myocardium in the anterior wall of the left ventricle, due to significant T2 relaxation rate enhancement in the adjacent normal myocardium. Both T1 and T2 were significantly (p less than 0.01) shortened in the normal myocardium of the Gd-DTPA animals, but relatively greater T2 relaxation rate enhancement resulted in reduced intensity of normal myocardium, thus increasing contrast with ischemic myocardium. As a result of the significant shortening of T1 and T2 in the normal myocardium relative to the ischemic myocardium, improved delineation of the ischemic segment could be obtained using calculated T1 and T2 images. It is concluded that Gd-DTPA has the potential to expand the sensitivity and diagnostic utility of MR in the study of occlusive coronary artery disease.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Schlosser, P. Hunold, C. U. Herborn, H. Lehmkuhl, A. Lind, S. Massing, and J. Barkhausen Myocardial Infarct: Depiction with Contrast-enhanced MR Imaging--Comparison of Gadopentetate and Gadobenate Radiology, September 1, 2005; 236(3): 1041 - 1046. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. S. Lee, H. W. Goo, S. B. Park, C. H. Lim, G. Gong, J. B. Seo, and T.-H. Lim MR Imaging of Reperfused Myocardial Infarction: Comparison of Necrosis-Specific and Intravascular Contrast Agents in a Cat Model Radiology, March 1, 2003; 226(3): 739 - 747. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. H. Choi, S. S. Lee, S. I. Choi, S. T. Kim, K. H. Lim, C. H. Lim, H.-J. Weinmann, and T.-H. Lim Occlusive Myocardial Infarction: Investigation of Bis-Gadolinium Mesoporphyrins-enhanced T1-weighted MR Imaging in a Cat Model Radiology, August 1, 2001; 220(2): 436 - 440. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. G. Friedrich, O. Strohm, J. Schulz-Menger, H. Marciniak, F. C. Luft, and R. Dietz Contrast Media–Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Visualizes Myocardial Changes in the Course of Viral Myocarditis Circulation, May 19, 1998; 97(18): 1802 - 1809. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Simor, W.-J. Chu, L. Johnson, A. Safranko, M. Doyle, G. M. Pohost, and G. A. Elgavish In Vivo MRI Visualization of Acute Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion in Ferrets by the Persistent Action of the Contrast Agent Gd(BME-DTTA) Circulation, December 15, 1995; 92(12): 3549 - 3559. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				E. E. van der Wall, H. W. Vliegen, A. de Roos, and A. V.G. Bruschke Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Coronary Artery Disease Circulation, November 1, 1995; 92(9): 2723 - 2739. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				H. Matsuoka, M. Hamada, T. Honda, H. Kawakami, H. Okayama, M. Abe, Y. Shigematsu, T. Sumimoto, and K. Hiwada Precise Assessment of Myocardial Damage Associated with Secondary Cardiomyopathies by Use of Gd-DTPA-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Angiology, December 1, 1993; 44(12): 945 - 950. [Abstract] [PDF]