Magnetic resonance angiography has made great strides, with continuing improvements in hardware, pulse sequencing, and know-how allowing ever-increasing speed, resolution, and suppression of artifacts. However, an inherent physical barrier has always been limited SNR. Gadolinium contrast agents help to increase SNR by facilitating T1 relaxation, but they can be injected only at a finite rate and at a limited molar dose, and there is a rapid drop in c- centration following the brief arterial phase due to redistribution into the extracellular fluid compartment. With its sixfold increase in T1 relaxivity, blood pool distribution, and longer serum half-life, Vasovist® represents a new breakthrough which promises to revolutionize MRA image quality once again. This excellent treatise on Vasovist®, created by a team of exceptional faculty who are pioneers in MR angiography, covers the basic techniques, safety, efficacy, image processing, and pharmacoeconomic details, to successfully implement a new level of MRA image quality with this new contrast agent. In addition to improving all the usual arterial phase MRA - plications, the blood pool distribution opens up new possibilities, including detecting internal bleeding and imaging stent graft endoleaks, which are reviewed in detail. In the complex, competitive field of cardiovascular imaging, this book articulates the cutting edge in imaging vascular disease.

Clinical Blood Pool MR Imaging

»This excellent treatise on Vasovist® created by a team of exceptional faculty who are pioneers in

MR Angiography covers the basic techniques, safety, efficacy, image processing and pharmaco-economic

details to successfully implement a new level of MRA image quality with this new contrast agent.«

Martin Prince, Cornell University, New York

»The editors and authors have made groundbreaking contributions towards establishing MR angiography

in various investigative settings, rendering it more precise and applying it for diverse indications.

The work presented here is founded upon the extensive experience of the editors, as well as the broad

range of experience from other scientific working groups.«

Maximilian Reiser, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich

Vasovist® (Gadofosveset), worldwide the first blood pool agent, has only recently become available for

clinical use, but has already gained wide acceptance as a tool to improve magnetic resonance angiography.

This book presents the first in-depth introduction to the basic physicochemical aspects of the agent,

the application of Vasovist® in clinical MRA, as well as potential clinical applications beyond MRA and

patient management-related aspects.

The first part of the book explains basic and technical properties of the agent and the differences

of Vasovist® compared to currently available extracellular agents. The second part contains detailed

chapters on safety and efficacy. In the third part the focus is on MR angiographic applications,

and in the fourth part of the book potential clinical fields beyond MRA are explored. All clinical chapters

feature ready-to-use clinical protocols and a series of take home messages that concisely summarize

the current role of blood pool imaging for each specific indication.