Posts Tagged ‘ Gadolinium ’

Tracking MRI Health Risk & Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis Discussions

June 26th, 2009. By AbiK

A quick and easy way to determine the popularity (for better or worse) of a given topic is to check out the top message boards for that topic. The Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis group on Yahoo is where I went to get a quick read on the growing discussion around MRI health risks relating to use of Gadolinium as a contrast agent.

A picture tells a thousand words and I’m better with visuals—so I took the comment tracker and turned it into a graph. Seems pretty staightforward. However, here are a few data points I found from the American Roentgen Ray Society (“first and oldest radiology society in the United States”). The ARRS issued a report back in October, 2008 that included a neat little chart: MR Contrast Agent an Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) Timeline. Here, some highlights… Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Gadolinium, MRI Health Risks
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MRI Health Risks: 2 You Need to Know

June 23rd, 2009. By AbiK

Anyone who’s had an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) pretty much knows the drill on removing jewelry, hair clips, belt buckles—anything metal that can interfere with the scanning process. But there are two other precautions you need to take to avoid some potentially serious MRI health risks.

1. Gadolinium Contrast

Gadolinium is a paramagnetic metal ion that is approved by the FDA to provide contrast during an MRI. While a contrast agent is not always required for an MRI, many times its use is requested to provide additional diagnostic information that cannot be obtained by an MRI without contrast. Gadolinium contrast is not without risks though. According to the FDA,

…certain patients who receive GBCAs appear to be at an increased risk for developing a serious systemic fibrosing disease, NSF. The patients at risk are those with acute or chronic severe renal (kidney) insufficiency (glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73m²); or renal dysfunction due to the hepato-renal syndrome or in the perioperative liver transplantation period. In the hepato-renal syndrome or in the perioperative liver transplantation period, the risk applies to any severity of renal dysfunction.

There is no known treatment for NSF, and NSF has been associated with each of the five FDA-approved gadolinium contrast agents: Magnevist, MultiHance, Omniscan, OptiMARK, and ProHance. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Gadolinium, MRI Health Risks
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