Toshiba announces multi-center trial to evaluate Time-SLIP Renal MR Angiography

Non-contrast MR angiography provides clear, high-quality images and can be used as an effective tool for diagnosing renal artery stenosis. To illustrate non-contrast MRA's ability as a diagnostic tool for renal artery stenosis, Toshiba has announced a multi-center trial to establish the clinical value of non-contrast Renal MRA using Time-SLIP.

“In evaluating Toshiba's non-contrast Time-SLIP Renal MR Angiography to other established diagnostic imaging techniques, we hope to show how non-contrast MRA is a valuable non-invasive tool providing clear, high-resolution images of the renal arteries without the need for contrast”

The study will be a prospective registry of consecutive subjects undergoing medically necessary non-contrast renal MRA exams for the evaluation of renal artery stenosis. It will evaluate the utility of non-contrast renal MRA and validate Time-SLIP as a robust technique for non-contrast imaging.

"In evaluating Toshiba's non-contrast Time-SLIP Renal MR Angiography to other established diagnostic imaging techniques, we hope to show how non-contrast MRA is a valuable non-invasive tool providing clear, high-resolution images of the renal arteries without the need for contrast," said Stuart Clarkson, director, MR Business Unit, Toshiba. "Using non-contrast techniques eliminates the risks associated with gadolinium-based contrast agents such as the rare and sometimes fatal skin disease Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis or Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NSF/NFD)."

Leading this multi-center MR trial will be Dr. Timothy Albert, assistant consulting professor of Medicine at Duke and director of Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center. Centers in the U.S., Europe and Asia will participate in the trial. The trial will begin in early 2011 and run for six-to-twelve months thereafter. At least 75 patients will participate and at least five systems will be used globally including both the 1.5T Vantage Atlas^TM and Vantage Titan^TM systems.

To improve imaging safety for all patients, including those with kidney issues, Toshiba has developed advanced non-contrast MR angiography techniques, allowing certain MRA exams to be performed without contrast. The Time-SLIP non-contrast MRA technique can be applied to many regions of the body and is useful for evaluating hemodynamic velocity, functional assessments and visualization of vascular structures. It reveals regions excited as bright or black blood and can be especially useful for imaging complex vessels flowing in multiple directions, such as renal arteries, portal venous system and pulmonary arteries.

Other advanced and proprietary non-contrast MRA techniques that Toshiba has developed include Fresh Blood Imaging (FBI), Contrast-free Improved Angiography (CIA) and Time Space Angiography (TSA). Not only do these techniques eliminate risks associated with gadolinium-based contrast agents, but they also require less set-up time for clinicians, enabling MR exams to be completed faster without compromising image quality. Furthermore, non-contrast MRA exams help eliminate extravasation, the bursting of a patient's blood vessel causing hazardous contrast materials to be released under the skin and into the body.