MR Angiography of Collateral Arteries in a Hind Limb Ischemia Model: Comparison between Blood Pool Agent Gadomer and Small Contrast Agent Gd-DTPA

The objective of this study was to compare the blood pool agent Gadomer with a small contrast agent for the visualization of ultra-small, collateral arteries (diameter 0.10). Inter-observer variation was 24% and 18% for Gadomer and Gd-DTPA, respectively. In conclusion, blood pool agent Gadomer improved vessel conspicuity compared to Gd-DTPA. Steady-state MRA can be considered as an excellent non-invasive alternative to intra-arterial XRA for the visualization of ultra-small collateral arteries.