High-resolution ECG-gated MRA of the thoracic vasculature in children and adolescents using Gadobutrol at 3 Tesla

Purpose: To test the feasibility of an ECG- and navigator-gated high-resolution-angiography-sequence (HR-MRA) with slow infusion of extracellular contrast agent (gadobutrol) at 3 Tesla and compare the image quality, vessel sharpness, relative contrast and intra-/interobserver variability of vessel diameter measurements to standard first-pass-MRA (FP-MRA). Materials and Methods: 30 patients (age range 1–19 years) with congenital heart disease (CHD) or acquired diseases of the thoracic vasculature were prospectively examined on a 3 Tesla system (Philips Healthcare, Best, NL). The MRI-protocol comprised of function…