Abstract:
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Purpose: Gadolinium can be used as an alternative contrast agent for CT scanning ( especially angiography), but luminal attenuation is not comparable to iodine based contrast agents at the recommended dose. We compared attenuation characteristics of gadolinium alone and mixture of gadolinium and iodine contrast agents in vitro. Our aim was to increase attenuation of gadolinium by adding low volume iodine contrast agent.
Methods and Materials: We obtained three different gadolinium (0.5M)-iodine (300mg/ml) mixtures by mixing gadopentate dimeglumine with iopromide, gadodiamide with iohexol and meglumine gadoterate with iobitriodol. Mixtures were obtained by adding dilutions of multiples of 1ml of gadolinium (1-5mL) and multiples of 0.125mL of iodine (0.125mL-2mL) based contrast agents to normal saline solution in a plastic syringe up to a total volume of 10 mL. Mixtures were scanned by 4-channel MDCT by placing them at the center of the gantry. Technical parameters for scanning were 250 mA, 120 kV, 25 cm of field of view, 4 x 2.5 mm detector configuration, slice thickness 5 mm, pitch 1.5.
Results: Mixture of gadolinium and iodine contrast agents allows increased attenuation compared to gadolinium only samples. We did not find any significant attenuation difference between mixtures of gadolinium and iodine contrast agents of different types. Attenuation of iohexol and gadodiamide mixture at different dilutions was slightly higher compared to other mixtures. Additive effect of iodine to gadolinium CT attenuation characteristics was noted compared to only iodine based or only gadolinium based contrast agent containing samples. CT attenuation increment was directly proportional to iodine content of mixtures. Representative attenuation measurements for iodine (2mL) and gadolinium (5mL), iodine only and gadolinium only containing syringes filled with saline were 2650, 1556, 1440 HU, respectively.
Conclusion: Attenuation of gadolinium can be increased by adding low volume iodine based contrast agents. Gadolinium and low volume iodine mixture may be used as an alternative contrast agent for CT scanning when high volume of iodine contrast agents cannot be used in patients with impaired or borderline renal function.
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Karcaaltincaba MD, M,
Mixture of Gadolinium and Iodine Contrast Agents as an Alternative Contrast Agent for CT Scanning. Radiological Society of North America 2003 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 30 - December 5, 2003 ,Chicago IL.
http://archive.rsna.org/2003/3106476.html
