Vasculature Visualisation Using Blood Pool USPIO Contrast Agent Ferumoxytol in Humans

Deqiang Qiu¹, Thomas Christen¹, Wendy W. Ni¹, Greg Zaharchuk¹, Michael E. Moseley¹

Ultrasmall Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide (USPIO) is a strong T2* MR contrast agent that stays in the blood for long periods(~15hrs half-life). In this study, we explore the use of an FDA-approved USPIO compound ferumoxytol (labelled for treatment of iron-deficiency anemia) (AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, MA) for enhanced visualisation of the vasculature. USPIO was demonstrated to have substantially improved detail of the smaller veins and vessels through a negative contrast. Tiny subcortical white matter lesions (unidentified bright objects [UBO]) appear relatively hyperintense structures in the USPIO-enhanced T2* images, suggesting low blood volume in UBOs. The use of persistant USPIO enhancement in the vasculature may aid in detection and characterization in many diseases.