[MR imaging of coronary arteries: noncontrast free-breathing whole heart acquisition with ultrafast 3D balanced gradient-echo technique]. / Imagerie par résonance magnétique des artères coronaires: acquisition "coeur entier", en respiration libre, sans injection d'agent de contraste et utilisant la séquence 3D en écho de gradient balancé ultrarapide.

The 3D balanced gradient-echo technique is described along with th eimaging protocol for MR imaging of th ecoronary arteries. A 3D volume with spatial resolution of 0.6 x 0.6 x 0.75 mm composed of 140 slices covering the whole heart is acquired over 10 minutes. The main advantage of this whole heart technique is the possibility to image the coronary arteries along their entire course in a single acquisition. Selection of the navigator positions, timing of image acquisition and its duration through the R-R interval are the main factors requiring optimization.

[Contrast enhanced MR angiography: evolving towards whole-body real time acquisitions]. / Angiographie par résonance magnétique avec injection de produit de contraste: évolution vers le corps entier et le temps réel.

MRA includes all techniques used to depict vessels with MR. Gadolinium contrast injection combined with gradient echo sequences is the technique of choice for vascular imaging. Technical advances now allow faster acquisitions. The purpose of this article is to present two main advances with MRA: whole-body MRA and dynamic 3D MRA. Technical considerations, acquisition techniques, advantages and pitfalls based on our experience with a 1.5T MR unit will be discussed in order to promote their use in routine clinical practice.

One year clinical outcomes of renal artery stenting: the results of ODORI Registry.

The safety, efficacy and long term clinical benefits of renal artery revascularization by stenting are still a matter of debate. The aim of our study was to define the safety and efficacy of renal artery stenting with the Tsunami peripheral stent (Terumo Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). The ODORI was a prospective, multicentre registry which enrolled 251 consecutive patients, (276 renal arteries) in 36 centres across Europe. The primary endpoint was acute procedural success defined as <30% residual stenosis after stent placement. Secondary endpoints included major adverse events, blood pressure control, serum creatinine level, and target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 6 and 12 months. Patients were 70 +/- 10 years old, 59% were male, 33% had diabetes, and 96% hypertension. The main indications for renal stent implantation were hypertension in 83% and renal salvage in 39%. Direct stent implantation was performed in 76% of the cases. Acute success rate was 100% with residual stenosis of 2.5 +/- 5.4%. Systolic/diastolic blood pressure decreased from a mean of 171/89 at baseline to 142/78 mmHg at 6 months (p < 0.0001 vs. baseline), and 141/80 mmHg at 12 months (p < 0.0001 vs. baseline). Mean serum creatinine concentration did not change significantly in the total population. However, there was significant improvement in the highest tercile (from 283 micromol/l at baseline to 205 and 209 micromol/l at 6 and 12 months respectively). At 12-months, rates of restenosis and TLR were 6.6 and 0.8% respectively. The 12 month cumulative rate of all major clinical adverse events was 6.4% while the rate of device or procedure related events was 2.4%. In hypertensive patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis Tsunami peripheral balloon-expandable stent provides a safe revascularization strategy, with a potential beneficial impact on hypertension control and renal function in the highest risk patients.