New study on MRI & Gadolinium…but does it matter?

July 1st, 2009. By admin

The June issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (as reported by docguide.com) has the results of a new study on MRI health risks–particularly those associated with gadolinium contrast. According to the docguide.com article,

“Even at very high doses, gadolinium-based contrast agents alone are not sufficient to cause nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with kidney problems,…”

That’s a statement that caught my eye given all the prior studies on the risks of gadolinium as an MRI contrast agent and its connection to Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF).

In the study, led by Dr. Mellena D. Bridges, of the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, records of 61 patients who received high-dose IV gadodiamide for catheter angiography or computed tomography (CT) between January 2002 and December 2005 were examined.

The article goes on to say,

The cohort was limited to patients who had received a dose of at least 40 mL of gadodiamide during a single imaging session, who underwent at least 1 year of clinical follow-up, and who had moderate to end-stage renal disease. “Our patients had been given high doses, from 2 to 10 times the usual MRI dose,” said Dr. Bridges.

“These high doses were used because the patients were undergoing interventional procedures and the procedures were done before there were any reports linking gadolinium to NSF.”

“Fortunately, only 1 of these patients, a 58-year-old diabetic man with end-stage kidney disease and significant blood vessel blockages, developed NSF.”

What’s interesting is the article’s final concluding remark from the study: “Gadolinium seems to be necessary to trigger NSF, but it doesn’t seem to be enough to cause the disease, even at very high doses,” she [Dr. Bridges] concluded.

It begs the question, if you have NSF does it really matter whether Gadolinium caused it, or merely triggered it?

Tags: Gadolinium, MRI Health Risks

This was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 2:17 pm and is filed under Drugs/Medical . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.