MRI safety recently took a step forward with the formation of the American Board of Magnetic Resonance Safety (ABMRS). According to its website, the not-for-profit corporation’s purpose is to improve the safety of medical and research magnetic resonance (MR) environments. That includes the safety of MR facilities and the certification and qualification of the professionals who oversee the physical and operational safety of the MR equipment, environment, and processes.
The leadership of the founding Board of Directors includes the following:
- Chair: Emanuel Kanal, MD, Director of MR Services at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
- Vice Chair: Max Amurao, Phd, Director of Radiation Safety for Clinical Programs at Columbia University/New York Presbyterian Hospitals
- Secretary/Treasure: Tobias Gilk, MArch, Sr. Vice President of Radiology-Planning and Founder of Gilk Radiology Consulting
As we previously shared in a post on November 7, 2014, Dr. Kanal has been conducting MRI Safety Officer (MRSO) and MRI Medical Director (MRMD) Seminars since June of last year. It was during one of those seminars that Dr. Kanal provided a “Gadolinium Contrast Overview” in which he described “new and growing concerns about non-NSF bio-retention”. “Non-NSF bio-retention” is what we refer to as Gadolinium Toxicity.
While ABMRS is primarily concerned with the safety surrounding MR environments, we hope it will also address the safety issues related to Gadolinium retention from the Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents administered for contrast-enhanced MRIs and MRAs.
You can learn more about the American Board of Magnetic Resonance Safety at http://www.abmrs.org/.
Sharon W
Gadolinium Toxicity 
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