SNR Optimized Contrast-Enhanced MRA of the Peripheral Vasculature Using Patient Specific Timing Parameters: Comparison Between High and Conventional Relaxivity Contrast Agents in Patient Suspected of Arterial Occlusive Disease

George Rachid de Oliveira¹, Earl Michael Chester², Gregory Wilson^1,3, Jeffrey H. Maki^1,4

The objective was to compare qualitative and quantitative peripheral MRA (pMRA) image quality with different dose high vs. conventional relaxivity contrast agents (HRCA vs. CRCA). SNR and timing optimized 3 station pMRA was performed using similar doses (~0.2 mmol/kg) of HRCA vs. CRCA, as well as a smaller dose (~0.1 mmol/kg) of HRCA. No statistically significant qualitative or quantitative differences were observed between same dose HRCA and CRCA. Furthermore, no differences were observed between 0.2 and 0.1 mmol/kg dosing for HRCA, suggesting low dose HRCA is equivalent to high dose CRCA, and increasing HRCA dose has little benefit for pMRA.