Contrast-Enhanced Whole-Heart Coronary MRA at 3T Using Gradient Echo Interleaved EPI and Single Dose of Gd-BOPTA

Himanshu Bhat¹, Sven Zuehlsdorff², Renate Jerecic², Debiao Li¹

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.