Dear MRI Insider,
It seems as though every week a new study is published on the issue of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) in MRI. Most recently, German researchers looked at how their institution's change from a linear GBCA to two macrocyclic GBCAs resonated clinically among their patients by investigating signal intensity in two key regions of the brain.
What they discovered and how it might influence the use of GBCAs can be found in our Insider Exclusive.
Another recent study, this one from Boston Medical Center, found a correlation between T1 and T2 signal intensities and previous GBCA exposure, both across the entire brain and in certain regions. The findings also support previous studies that showed the presence of gadolinium deposits throughout the brain following administration of GBCAs.
In addition, a new prospective study found that use of the GBCA gadobutrol resulted in a very low number of allergic-like reactions among MRI patients. Researchers at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto noted only 96 adverse events from more than 30,000 gadobutrol-enhanced MRI scans over a four-year period. Of that total, there was only one severe reaction to the contrast agent.
In other noteworthy MRI news, diffusion-tensor MRI scans have shown significant brain changes in young football players after just one season of games and practice, even when they appear concussion-free. The study adds to evidence indicating that playing a contact sport for one season can result in brain changes at MRI, even in the absence of concussion, researchers concluded.
Finally, from Turkey comes a study about how abstinence prior to a prostate MRI scan significantly increases the volume of seminal vesicles (SVs) and may well improve evaluation of SV invasion on multiparametric MRI. The ability to accurately interpret the prostate images improved particularly for men older than 60 years of age.
Make a visit to the MRI Community at AuntMinnie.com part of your daily routine for the latest news and groundbreaking research from around the world.
