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Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents for Vessel Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of Atherosclerosis

  • Molecular Imaging (ZA Fayad, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Cardiovascular disease due to atherosclerosis is the number one killer in the Western world, and threatens to become the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is therefore paramount to develop non-invasive methods for the detection of high-risk, asymptomatic individuals before the onset of clinical symptoms or events. In the recent past, great strides have been made in the understanding of the pathological mechanisms involved in the atherosclerotic cascade down to the molecular details. This has allowed the development of contrast agents that can aid in the in vivo characterization of these processes. Gadolinium chelates are among the contrast media most commonly used in MR imaging. Originally used for MR angiography for the detection and quantification of vascular stenosis, more recently they have been applied to improve characterization of atherosclerotic plaques. In this manuscript, we will briefly review gadolinium-chelates (Gd) based contrast agents for non-invasive MR imaging of atherosclerosis. We will first describe Gd-based non-targeted FDA approved agents, used routinely in clinical practice for the evaluation of neovascularization in other diseases. Secondly, we will describe non-specific and specific targeted contrast agents, which have great potential for dissecting specific biological processes in the atherosclerotic cascade. Lastly, we will briefly compare Gd-based agents to others commonly used in MRI and to other imaging modalities.

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Acknowledgments

NIH/NHLBI R01 HL071021, R01 HL078667; NIH/NBIB R01 EB009638 and NIH/NHLBI Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN) Award, Contract #HHSN268201000045C.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1234, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Claudia Calcagno, Sarayu Ramachandran, Antoine Millon, Philip M. Robson, Venkatesh Mani & Zahi Fayad

  2. Department of Radiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Claudia Calcagno, Sarayu Ramachandran, Antoine Millon, Philip M. Robson, Venkatesh Mani & Zahi Fayad

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  1. Claudia Calcagno
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  2. Sarayu Ramachandran
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Correspondence to Zahi Fayad.

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Calcagno, C., Ramachandran, S., Millon, A. et al. Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents for Vessel Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of Atherosclerosis. Curr Cardiovasc Imaging Rep 6, 11–24 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12410-012-9177-x

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