Investigative radiology
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Investigative radiology · Jan 2001
Acute and subacute physiological and histological studies of the central nervous system after intrathecal gadolinium injection in the anesthetized rat.
To determine the acute physiological and subacute neurohistological effects of gadopentetate dimeglumine (GdD) administered intrathecally. ⋯ Intrathecally administered GdD was accompanied by no significant change in any of the physiologic or histologic parameters examined. Based on the relatively short time interval between GdD treatment and histologic examination, the neural tissue abnormalities (gliosis/inflammation) observed in two animals were judged to be incidental and likely due to prior chronic pre-existing processes such as viral infection. Although additional studies are required to verify the safety and effectiveness of intrathecal GdD in humans, data from the present study in animals provide evidence that when intrathecal GdD is used in doses sufficient to improve MRI of the cerebrospinal fluid compartment, it is likely to be accompanied by a low incidence of acute changes in neural function or structure.
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Investigative radiology · Jan 2001
Comparative StudyReview of studies establishing the aging male spontaneously hypertensive rat as a detector and quantifier of the kidney toxicity of radiocontrast media and other chemicals.
There is a need for practical and sensitive preclinical tests for detecting the kidney toxicity of chemicals. The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), as it ages, develops renal and cardiovascular changes similar to those considered as human risk factors for radiocontrast-induced renal damage. Age, male gender, and uncontrolled hypertension make these animals susceptible to the volume and osmolality of the administered contrast agent and the effect of repeated contrast administration after a brief interval. This article reviews studies in which the role of these and other factors were evaluated to validate the male SHR as a small animal model for renal damage induced by contrast and other agents. ⋯ The results indicate that the aging male SHR develops spontaneous renal lesions that progress with age, increasing the susceptibility to the renal-damaging effects of contrast. Thus, the aging male SHR provides a laboratory tool for detecting the risk of renal damage of new contrast media as well as other pharmaceuticals and assessing methods to protect the kidneys and possible mechanisms of renal damage.