UTE angiography with ferumoxytol

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is arguably the most clinically pertinent, non-destructive imaging modality for probing deep tissue in the human body. Clinical contrast-enhanced MRI with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) is typically performed with T2-weighted imaging. Here we show that ultra-short TE (UTE) imaging with SPIONs produces unambiguous, positive-contrast signals in vivo in mice. Experiments were performed using a SPION containing pharmaceutical, ferumoxytol, in phantoms and in systemic circulation of mice at 7T. 3D UTE angiography was not hampered by susceptibility artifacts or influenced by flow. By negating these effects we were able to produce high SNR and CNR images of the entire vascular system, including the lungs and the heart.