Abstract #3679
Toward
a Novel Implantable Contrast Agent for Enhanced MRI Definition of the Vein
Graft Wall: Long-Term Stability Assessment of Gd-DTPA Immobilized
Contrast-Enhanced (ICE) MRI
Dimitris Mitsouras1,2, Praveen K. Vemula,
23, Peng Yu, 2,4, Ming Tao, 2,4, Binh T. Nguyen,
2,4, Jeffrey Karp, 23, Keith C. Ozaki, 2,4,
Robert V. Mulkern, 2,5, Frank J. Rybicki1,2
1Dept of Radiology, Brigham and Women's
Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; 2Harvard University,
Cambridge, MA, United States; 3Dept of Medicine, Brigham and
Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; 4Dept of Surgery,
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; 5Dept of
Radiology, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
Nearly
half of 500,000 vein grafts implanted annually in the US fail.
Although MR has enormous potential to assess remodeling and track disease
progression, it is severely limited by excessive scan times required to
resolve the graft wall (<1mm thickness). Our long-term goal is the development
of an implantable MR contrast agent, immobilized on the vein graft surface ex
vivo at the time of operation, used to enhance both the MR signal and tissue
contrast available for subsequent imaging. We demonstrate for the first time
such long-term signal enhancement using a modified Gd-DTPA complex
successfully immobilized on the vein surface.
