Investigative radiology
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Investigative radiology · Jan 2008
A preclinical study to investigate the development of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis: a possible role for gadolinium-based contrast media.
Several recent publications have suggested an association between the administration of gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents and the occurrence of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF), an acquired disorder marked by skin thickening and fibrosis occurring in patients with severe renal dysfunction. The aim of this study was to establish a preclinical experimental setting to investigate the possible link between NSF and Gd-based contrast agents, and specifically the role of Gd and/or depletion of endogenous metal ions as possible triggers for NSF. ⋯ A preclinical experimental setting has been established where NSF-like lesions could be observed. The link between the application of Gd-based contrast media and the induction of NSF-like lesions was established. The data indicate that the observed skin lesions are related to the release of Gd and not to the depletion of endogenous ions. The investigations further suggest potential importance of the stability of Gd-based contrast agents.
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Investigative radiology · Jan 2008
Systematic variation of off-resonance prepulses for clinical magnetization transfer contrast imaging at 0.2, 1.5, and 3.0 tesla.
The aim of the presented study was to evaluate pulsed magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) effects using saturation pulses of variable off-resonance frequency and radio frequency (RF) amplitude for a variety of tissue types (white and gray matter, liver, kidney, spleen, muscle, and articular cartilage) in human subjects at field strengths of 0.2, 1.5, and 3.0 Tesla. ⋯ The increased MT effect at a higher field strength can partly compensate the specific absorption rate related problems in MTC applications. It is shown that for flip angles of 700 degrees to 900 degrees and offset frequencies of 1000 Hz to 1500 Hz, high quality MTR maps could be obtained at an acceptable level of direct saturation for all field strengths. Furthermore, if the better signal-to-noise ratio at higher magnetic fields is taken into account, quality of MTR maps of the head and the knee at 3.0 T was clearly improved compared with lower fields under optimized and comparable conditions.
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Investigative radiology · Jan 2008
Targeted contrast agent helps to monitor advanced plaque during progression: a magnetic resonance imaging study in rabbits.
Gadofluorine M has been reported to enhance early atherosclerotic plaque signals in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The aim of this study was to examine the use of Gadofluorine M to monitor the progression of advanced plaques in a rabbit model. ⋯ This preliminary study in rabbits indicated that Gadofluorine M provides specific enhancements of components associated with advanced atherosclerotic plaques and may help to monitor the progression of the plaque in a rabbit model of atherogenesis.