Summary: Technical Note
High-Resolution MRI of Deep-Seated
Atherosclerotic Arteries Using Motexafin
Gadolinium
Chris Brushett, MS,1,2
Bensheng Qiu, PhD,1,3
Ergin Atalar, PhD,1,4
and
Xiaoming Yang, MD, PhD1,3*
Purpose: To evaluate the potential of using motexafin gad-
olinium (MGd) to characterize atherosclerotic plaques of
deep-seated arteries with MRI.
Materials and Methods: We exposed vascular endothelial
cells (EC) and smooth muscle cells (SMC) in vitro to varying
concentrations of MGd. The fluorescence properties of MGd
were then exploited using confocal microscopy to image
exposed cells. For an in vivo validation study, we performed
surface coil­based and intravascular coil­based high-res-
olution MRI of the iliac arteries and the abdominal aorta of
three atherosclerotic Yucatan pigs. Subsequently, MGd en-

Source: Atalar, Ergin - Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University

Collections: Engineering; Biology and Medicine