On June 24, 2015, the American Board of Magnetic Resonance Safety (ABMRS) administered exams, which will for the first time, certify Magnetic Resonance Medical Directors/Physicians (MRMD) and Magnetic Resonance Safety Officers (MRSO). A third test, for Magnetic Resonance Safety Experts (MRSE), is expected to be ready for administration on or after the 4th quarter of 2015.
As we previously reported, the purpose of the ABMRS 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.
Dr. Emanuel Kanal, ABMRS Chairman, told us that he included in the examination content requirements that ABMRS certified MR practitioners be familiar with gadolinium based contrast agent safety issues – and that among the issues with which they want them to be familiar are long-term potential adverse effects of the administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents.
The information related to long-term adverse effects can be found in the Examination Content Syllabus on the ABMRS website (www.abmrs.org); select “Examination Information” from the menu header, then select the sub-heading, “Examination Content”. You will need to click on “Download Syllabus PDF” at the bottom of the page. On page 3 of the PDF, item #3 deals with Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents (GBCA). The following comes from the section on long-term adverse effects:
Long term adverse effects
• Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis
• Dose related dentate/globus pallidus T1 shortening; retained gadolinium
• Gadolinium Associated Plaques (GAP)
• Anthropogenic gadolinium
• Self-published patients with normal renal function and complaints since GBCA; elevated 24 hour urinary gadolinium excretion?
The “self-published patients with normal renal function” that they refer to are us – Hubbs, me, and members of the MRI-Gadolinium-Toxicity Support Group. Our self-study papers can be found in Our Research, located in the Research section of this website.
While the ABMRS is primarily concerned with the safety surrounding MR environments, we hope it will continue to address safety issues related to gadolinium retention from Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents administered for contrast-enhanced MRIs and MRAs. Gadolinium retention is an issue that can potentially affect every patient that has an MRI or MRA with contrast, regardless of his or her level of renal function.
You can learn more about the American Board of Magnetic Resonance Safety at http://www.abmrs.org.
Sharon W
Gadolinium Toxicity 
Well, this is one step in the right direction! So glad that all your hard work is paying off! Many people do not realize that Gadolinium is not a “dye” and only think an immediate reaction, such as would be of the anaphylactic type; they have no clue it can stay in the body and wreak havoc for years before it becoming evident. Now onto the doctors who have to upgrade their learning which is for the most part in the Dark Ages!
I believe that most doctors do an excellent job in applying what they have been taught, both in their initial training and through continuing medical education. It is not their role to determine if there is a problem with a drug or medical procedure. They rely on the FDA and leadership within the medical industry to keep them informed. The Radiology community is bringing evidence of gadolinium retention to light – now it’s time for the FDA to step in and inform all doctors and patients about the problems related to gadolinium-based contrast agents.