Himanshu Bhat1, Sven Zuehlsdorff2, Renate Jerecic2, Debiao Li1
1Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; 2Siemens Medical Solutions, Chicago, IL, USA
A gradient echo interleaved EPI (GRE-EPI) sequence was optimized for contrast-enhanced whole-heart coronary MRA at 3T using slow infusion of a single dose of Gd-BOPTA (Multihance, Bracco). In volunteers, all the major coronary arteries were clearly depicted in an average scan time of 3 minutes. This represents more than a factor of 2 reduction in both the scan time and contrast dose from previous studies. Single dose reduces the risks associated with contrast media as compared to double dose.