Molecular MR Imaging of Human Thrombi in a Swine Model of Pulmonary Embolism Using a Fibrin-Specific Contrast Agent

• DOI: 10.1097/rli.0b013e31804fa154
• Publication Date: 2007-07-09T08:05:17Z
• Authors: Elmar Spuentrup; Marcus Katoh; Arno Buecker; Bernd Fausten; Andrea J. Wiethoff; Joachim E. Wildbe...; Patrick Haage; Edward C. Parsons; Rene M. Botnar; Philip B. Graham; Manfred Vettelschoss; Rolf W. G??nther
• Keywords: Fibrin; Molecular Structure; Swine; 610; Contrast Media; Gadolinium; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Disease Models, Animal; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Animals; Humans; Peptides; Pulmonary Embolism; Protein Binding

Molecular targeted MR imaging of human clots material in a model of pulmonary embolism using a fibrin-specific magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent (EP-2104R, EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA).Fresh ex vivo engineered thrombi (human blood) and human clots removed from patients were delivered in 11 swine. Molecular MR imaging with a 3D gradient-echo [3D fast field echo (3DFFE)] sequence and a navigator-gated and cardiac-triggered 3D inversion-recovery black-blood gradient-echo sequence (IR) was performed before thrombus delivery, after thrombus delivery but before contrast media application, and 2 hours after i.v. administration of 4 micromol/kg EP-2104R. MR images were analyzed by 2 investigators and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was assessed. Thrombi were removed for assessment of gadolinium (Gd) concentration.Only after contrast media application were pulmonary emboli [freshly engineered thrombi (n = 23) and human clot material removed from patients (n = 25)] visualized as white foci on MR images. CNR was 13 +/- 3 (ex vivo engineered clot) and 22 +/- 9 (patient clot material) for the fast field echo (FFE)-sequence and 29 +/- 9 (ex vivo engineered clot) and 43 +/- 18 (patient clot material) for the IR-sequence, respectively. A high Gd concentration in the clots was found (82 +/- 43 microM for the freshly engineered and 247 +/- 44 microM for the clots removed from patients, respectively).EP-2104R allows for molecular MR imaging of human clot material in the pulmonary vessels of a swine model.