Stephanie Elaine-GarWai Chiu1, Alan R. Moody1,2, James Q. Zhan2, General Leung1
1Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 2Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
This study compares vessel wall enhancement both minutes and 24 hours after the injection of a blood-pool contrast agent in a balloon injury animal model of atherosclerosis. High resolution MR imaging shows a ring of enhancement in the medial and adventitial layers of the injured segments which correlates to histologically proven proliferation of neovessels. Vasovist enhancement emphasizes the adluminal surface of the vessel wall during the first several minutes after contrast injection, while 24 hour delayed enhancement highlights areas of microvessel infiltration within the vessel wall.