gadolinium

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Gadolinium Study, Breath Test for MS Diagnosis, CBD Treatment Trial, Potential Remyelination Therapy

Study Examines Gadolinium Deposits in MS Patientsā€™ Brains, But Still Canā€™t Determine Relationship with Disease Severity Here’s some new information about gadodiamide, a contrast dye that is injected during some MRIs. The study confirms that gadolinium, the substance on which gadodiamide is based, builds up in the brain, but…

Need to Know: Do I Need Contrast Dye for an MRI?

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum.Ā This week’s question is inspired by the forum topicĀ “Gadolinium ā€“ The contrast agent used in MRI scans,” from April 10,…

Is the MRI Contrasting Agent Gadolinium Safe? (Part 2)

Part twoĀ in aĀ series. Read part one here. In the last column, I discussed gadolinium’s role in contrasted MRI procedures andĀ a December 2017 warning by theĀ U.S. Food and Drug Administration that the body can retain gadolinium in its tissues and brain for years.Ā I also shared my personal experience with…

Is the MRI Contrasting Agent Gadolinium Safe? (Part 1)

When a doctor orders an MRI with contrast, gadolinium is usually the contrasting agent used. Gadolinium is injected into the patient’s vein after the radiologist takes the first round of MRI images. This helps the radiologist receive sharper, more readable images. In the case of multiple sclerosis (MS),…

Worrying About the Dye Used in My MRIs

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety alert about gadolinium, the dye that’s injected when our doctors order a brain MRI “with and without” contrast. The dye provides the contrast that “lights up” areas of MS inflammation in the brain. But the FDA advisory is…

FDA Warns of Risks Linked to Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents Used in MRI Scans

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated aĀ safety bulletinĀ about gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs), after studies raised new concerns about them. Doctors often use GBCAs to diagnoseĀ multiple sclerosis (MS),Ā monitor disease activity and verify the effectiveness of MS therapies.Ā Gadolinium is a metal ion, or electrically charged molecule, that…

Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Revises MRI Guidelines

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers has updated guidelines for using magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate people suspected of having multiple sclerosis. Doctors use the MRI guidelines not only to diagnose MS but also to track treatment results. A task force is reviewing the new guidelines before they're published. The working document is called Ā "Revised Guidelines of the CMSC MRI Protocol for the Diagnosis and Follow-up of MS." The task force, composed of neurologists, radiologists and imaging scientists experienced in MS, met in January 2017 to revise the guidelines. They also updated information about the situations for which standardized brain and spinal cord MRI scans should be used. One change is a recommendation that gadolinium, a contrast agent in scans, be used cautiously. The previous update, published in 2015, included no constraints on the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents.Ā But soon after publication, information emerged showing that gadolinium, although not toxic, accumulates in the brain. This prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to recommend limiting the use of gadolinium to ā€œappropriate clinical circumstances.ā€ To mirror the increased awareness of gadolinium deposits, the new guidelines say: ā€œWhile there is no known central nervous system toxicity, these agents should be used judiciously, recognizing that gadolinium continues to play an invaluable role in specific circumstances related to the diagnosis and follow-up of individuals with MS.ā€ Since 2009, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers has addressed a number of other issues. One is encouraging the use of three-dimensional MRI for brain scans. Another is developing protocols for monitoring severe optic nerve inflammation and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, a brain disease caused by a virus. The guidelines have been revised to recommend the specific timing of scans for monitoring PML. The update also includes recommendations for theĀ timing of scans on patients receiving disease-modifying drugs. Since 2009, the guidelines have included recommendations on scans of radiologic isolated syndrome, a condition where MS-like MRI lesions are present without symptoms. And they have included provisions onĀ the value of using MRI changes to evaluate treatment effectiveness. The centers' goal "is to standardize the MRI protocol and make these recommendations a useful guideline for neurologists, neuroradiologists, and related healthcare professionals during initial evaluations and during follow-up of patients with MS, and ultimately provide optimum care for those individuals dealing with this unpredictable disease,ā€ June Halper, the centers' chief executive officer, said in a press release.

CMSC Revises Recommendations for Gadolinium Use in MRIs

Editor’s note: Patient columnist Laura Kolaczkowski attended the 31st annual Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers conference in New Orleans. The information in this article was taken from an interview session with the physicians. Ā  The use of gadolinium, whichĀ is the contrast agent often used during MRIs for multiple…