Ferumoxytol as a Contrast Agent for Pulmonary Magnetic Resonance Angiography

Thromboembolic events in patients with chronic kidney disease are out of proportion to age matched controls occurring 2.34 times more frequently than in non-CKD patients (PMID 19561505). At the same time, patients with kidney disease are not offered the gold standard for pulmonary embolus diagnosis, i.e. CT angiography, for concern of acute dialysis to treat contrast-induced nephropathy. Ventilation perfusion scintigraphy (V/Q) is the preferred diagnostic test for patients with advanced CKD (glomerular filtration rate <30mL/min/m2) and suspicion of pulmonary embolus, but can not be utilized if pulmonary parenchyma contains interstitial edema or alveolar occlusion due to pneumonia. If diagnostic tools for pulmonary embolus are not available, patients are subject to the risk of empiric treatment to avoid life-threatening complications of untreated pulmonary embolus. For those patients with CKD that undergo CT angiography, they are placed at risk of initiating dialysis. If this occurs multiple financial costs are associated with dialysis catheter placement and acute hemodialysis. If a patient instead is evaluated with gadolinium-based contrast modalities, there is the risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and the morbidity associated with this iatrogenic disease process.

Ferumoxytol-enhanced MRI could avoid the risk of iodinated contrast and gadolinium contrast and accelerate the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pulmonary embolus.