Author:

Keywords:

Central Nervous System Diseases, Contrast Media, Double-Blind Method, Female, Gadolinium DTPA, Humans, Injections, Intravenous, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Organometallic Compounds, Pentetic Acid, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Clinical Neurology, Neuroimaging, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging, Neurosciences & Neurology, BRAIN, MRI, SPINE, MRI, MAGNETIC RESONANCE, CONTRAST ENHANCEMENT, GADOLINIUM, GADOPENTETATE DIMEGLUMINE, CONTRAST AGENT, BRAIN, TRIAL, GADOTERIDOL, SPINE, CNS, MRI, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 1109 Neurosciences, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging, 3202 Clinical sciences, 3209 Neurosciences

Abstract:

We studied 78 patients with clinically suspected central nervous system abnormalities (66 intracranial, 12 spinal) by MRI before and after administration of the nonionic contrast medium gadodiamide injection. A parallel, double-blind, randomised design was followed. Two dosages were used: 38 patients underwent studies with 0.1 mmol/kg body weight (b.w.) and 40 with 0.3 mmol/kg b.w. MRI showed abnormalities in 36 of the 38 patients receiving the lower dose and 39 of the 40 patients receiving the higher dose. In 3 patients from each group more lesions were seen following injection than before. The contrast medium improved the delineation of abnormal structures and assessment of tumour size and increased their signal intensity indices in both groups, but especially at the higher dose. Administration of gadodiamide injection provided more diagnostic information in about 75% of the patients, independently of the dose. There were no reports of discomfort, but 7 patients reported adverse events considered unrelated to the gadodiamide injection. The two doses were found to be equally safe and efficient for diagnosis.