Recent Viewpoints
American Board of Magnetic Resonance Safety (ABMRS)
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
Gadolinium Toxicity – A Disease of Degrees
Why does a Gadolinium Toxicity diagnosis have to be full-blown NSF (Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis) or nothing at all? Patients with normal kidney function have been trying to get an answer to that question for years now, but for some reason no one is listening.
NSF, which can occur when someone with severe kidney disease retains large amounts of Gadolinium, is probably the worst manifestation of Gadolinium Toxicity. But what happens to people who retain less Gadolinium? Couldn’t those people also be adversely affected, but perhaps to a lesser degree than full-blown NSF?
We believe Gadolinium Toxicity is a “disease of degrees” which can manifest itself in many ways depending on how much Gadolinium someone retains. Since free Gadolinium is toxic, it would seem that the severity of each person’s symptoms will likely depend on the total amount of Gadolinium retained from the administered Gadolinium-based Contrast Agent. (more…)
Gadolinium Toxicity – Is it a real thing?
If you have developed unexplained and troubling symptoms since your MRI or MRA with a Gadolinium-based Contrast Agent, then you will understand why we think that Gadolinium Toxicity is a medical condition that needs to be recognized. It is a problem that is long overdue for recognition by the FDA and the medical community. There is mounting evidence in the published literature that indicates that patients with normal kidney function retain Gadolinium which is known to be toxic to the human body.
Some people develop symptoms after just one dose of contrast, while others will have several MRIs with contrast before they realize their unexplained symptoms began soon after their exposure to a Gadolinium-based Contrast Agent or GBCA. (more…)
Confirmation of Gadolinium Retention from as far back as 1989
While most of the published research on Gadolinium has been related to NSF (Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis) and patients with severe renal disease, more recent studies by Errante (2014), Kanda (2013) and Xia (2010) have presented evidence of Gadolinium retention in patients without severe kidney problems.
Some authors and members of the radiology community seem to be surprised by finding evidence of Gadolinium in abnormal brain tissue in patients with normal renal function, but based on what has been published about Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents, it seems that this might be expected to occur. Each of the manufacturers’ package inserts notes that GBCAs deposit in abnormal tissue, and none of the literature that I have read indicates that renal function plays any part in Gadolinium enhancement of abnormal tissue. (more…)
Gadolinium Toxicity 