The successful introduction of extracellular gadolinium-based contrast agents for contrastenhanced MR angiography, and their wide acceptance today, raise the question of what part an intravascular contrast agent might play in diagnostic imaging. The answer lies in the capacity of an intravascular agent to give us high-level diagnostic information from first pass arterial imaging and, at the same time, to yield additional diagnostic value by allowing delayed imaging from the same contrast injection. Clinical experience gathered since the introduction of Vasovist® (Gadofosveset) appears to provide the answer »yes«: not only is Vasovist® useful for first pass arterial imaging, but it also provides high intravascular enhancement that lasts much longer.
