NCT00001841

Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) for the Diagnosis of Atherosclerosis

Contrast Enhanced Resonance Angiography (MRA) in the Diagnosis of Atherosclerotic Disease: A Pilot Technical Development Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 100 (planned)
• Sponsor: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) · NIH
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) is a method used to evaluate arteries and veins without the use of invasive catheters or x-rays (radiation). MRA technique has been continuously improving and has become more accurate at diagnosing problems of narrowing in blood vessels. However, MRA has a difficult time detecting narrowing in small blood vessels, limiting its use to large arteries. The purpose of this study is to recruit patients diagnosed with or suspected of having, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) to participate in a series of new state-of-the-art diagnostic tests using MRA. This study is a combined effort between the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), and General Electric Medical Services and is supported a Cooperative Research Agreement is to (CRADA). The goal of this study is to improve MRA to the point that it can reliably replace diagnostic x-ray catheter angiography in the evaluation of patients with atherosclerosis.

Detailed description

Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) is a developing technology that permits the non-invasive evaluation of arterial and venous structures without the need for x-ray based catheter angiography. While dramatic progress has been made in the last few years, there are still substantial limitations in the accuracy of MRA in judging stenoses and detecting small accessory vessels. The purpose of this study is to recruit patients with suspected or documented atherosclerotic disease for evaluation with state-of-the-art MRA using new surface coils, new pulse sequence designs, novel contrast administration strategies, and advanced image processing algorithms. This work represents a collaboration between NIH, USUHS and General Electric Medical Systems and is supported by a Cooperative Research Agreement (CRADA). The goal of this pilot study is to improve MRA to the point that it can reliably replace diagnostic x-ray catheter angiography in the evaluation of patients with atherosclerotic disease.

Conditions

• Atherosclerosis

Timeline

• Start date: 1999-03-01
• Completion: 2004-12-01
• First posted: 1999-11-04
• Last updated: 2008-03-04

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States