First-pass whole-body magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) using the blood-pool contrast medium gadofosveset trisodium - Comparison to gadopentetate dimeglumine

Objectives: To evaluate gadofosveset trisodium for first-pass magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in the setting of whole-body MRA (WB-MRA). Materials and Methods: Forty patients were examined using either 10 mL gadofosveset trisodium (n = 20) or 30 mL gadopentetate dimeglumine (n = 20), followed by arterial-phase imaging of 4 consecutive anatomic regions. Signal intensity was measured in 2 vessels per region. Relative contrast values (RC) were calculated. Arterial contrast, venous overlay, and image quality were rated by 2 radiologists. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test for significance. Results: Compared with gadopentetate dimeglumine, gadofosveset trisodium enhanced imaging revealed higher RC values in 2 vessel regions, with the differences being significant in 3 of 4 vessel segments. Gadofosveset trisodium revealed lower RC values in 2 regions with significant differences in 2 segments. Qualitative evaluation revealed higher ratings for gadofosveset trisodium regarding all 3 criteria with significant differences in 2 regions. Conclusions: Gadofosveset trisodium serves well for first-pass imaging in WB-MRA.