Dear MRI Insider,
Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) have been in the news again over the past few weeks, and we're pleased to update you on the latest goings-on in this edition of the MRI Insider.
Our most recent article covers research from South Korea that adds a new wrinkle to the debate over gadolinium retention. The group examined retention of a commercially available macrocyclic ionic GBCA and found no evidence of gadolinium retention in key regions of the brain, even after multiple GBCA administrations. Learn more in our Insider Exclusive, available to you before other AuntMinnie.com members.
GBCAs were also the target of a daylong public hearing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Medical Imaging Drugs Advisory Committee on September 8. Before the session ended, the panel voted overwhelmingly to recommend that the agency revise prescribing information to include a warning about gadolinium retention in certain organs and tissue.
The committee also voted unanimously for the FDA to require that GBCA manufacturers conduct more studies to determine if additional regulatory actions are needed, including the withdrawal of a contrast agent's approval and restrictions on use with indicated populations.
Interestingly, a meta-analysis found that one linear GBCA had a lower rate of immediate allergic reactions than macrocyclic gadolinium contrast. The findings appear to complicate the conventional wisdom that macrocyclic GBCAs are considered safer for patients in terms of avoiding nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and gadolinium retention.
In other news, French researchers are alerting radiology facilities to check the material in their patient blankets. Copper fibers in a blanket used to keep a patient warm in the PET/MRI suite began to heat and caused the blanket to smolder and nearly catch fire.
Finally, researchers from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto used MRI elastograms to measure kidney scarring in 17 people who had kidney transplants. They learned that MRI measurements of stiffness in these patients can gauge damage to the organ and predict future kidney function within one year.
Please 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.
