Absolute Quantification of Coronary Flow Reserve by Stress Perfusion MRI
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2014-02-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Coronary artery disease (CAD, coronary heart disease) is the leading cause of death in the
U.S., causing 1 in 5 deaths in 2005. The current method for diagnosing coronary artery
disease that is considered most accurate is coronary angiography however it involves risk and
radiation. Alternatively nuclear imaging test and MRI stress test only permits the semi
qualitative analysis of the myocardial perfusion images.
In this proposal the investigators will develop a means to calculate Coronary Flow Reserve
(CFR) using the MRI. the investigators approach has the potential to reduce mortality from
myocardial infarction by effecting a change in the patient management paradigm. Absolute
quantification of myocardial perfusion will detect coronary stenosis and CAD in patients with
more accuracy than the semi-quantitative or qualitative analysis of perfusion images.
Measurement of Coronary Flow Reserve is important for the following reasons: decrease of
coronary flow reserve has been identified as a first effect of CAD; it provides an objective
measure of treatment efficacy.
The purpose of this study is to compare images from nuclear stress test and/or coronary
angiography with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) that will evaluate subjects with coronary
artery disease calculating myocardial blood flow using a novel MRI technique combined to an
extracellular Gadolinium-based contrast agent and stressor agent