Podcast 582:  Gadolinium - The Contrast of MRI

Podcast 582: Gadolinium - The Contrast of MRI

Contributor: Michael Hunt, MD

Educational Pearls:

  • Contrast agents are commonly used for X-rays and CT's to better characterize disease, but contrast doesn't work with MRI. That's where the element Gadolinium comes into play.
  • Gadolinium, element 64, is ferromagnetic (attracted to iron) below 68 degrees and above that temperature it's paramagnetic which makes it useful in MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging).
  • Gadolinium is toxic alone, but when paired with chelators it can be used in humans and allows for better characterization of tumors or abnormal tissue on MRI.
  • It helps identify this abnormal tissue because when MRI causes polarization of our body's cells, the gadolinium, which has the maximum number of unpaired electrons in its orbital shells, alters the rate of decay in abnormal tissue highlighting abnormalities on imaging.
  • Gadolinium can also be used in the treatment of cancers because it collects in the cells of abnormal tissue, allowing for more targeted therapies.
  • In people exposed to gadolinium, the anaphylaxis rate is low, below 1/1000, and in rare cases there are reports of kidney injury and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis which is why it's not recommended in renal failure patients.

References

1)Ibrahim MA, Hazhirkarzar B, Dublin AB. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Gadolinium. [Updated 2020 Mar 9]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482487/

2)Pasquini L, Napolitano A, Visconti E, et al. Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agent-Related Toxicities [published correction appears in CNS Drugs. 2018 May 15;:]. CNS Drugs. 2018;32(3):229-240. doi:10.1007/s40263-018-0500-1

Summarized by Jackson Roos, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD

Jaksot(1145)

Podcast 862: How to Apply a Painful Stimulus

Podcast 862: How to Apply a Painful Stimulus

Contributor: Travis Barlock MD Educational Pearls: When might you need to apply a painful stimulus in a medical setting? The main reason is to assess the patient's level of consciousness, such as wh...

31 Heinä 20232min

Podcast 861: Alcohol Withdrawal and Delirium Tremens

Podcast 861: Alcohol Withdrawal and Delirium Tremens

Contributor: Travis Barlock MD Educational Pearls: Alcohol binds the GABA receptor, which produces an inhibitory response, hence the "depressive" effects of ethanol beverages. Over time, alcohol d...

24 Heinä 20234min

Ukraine Brewtalk Featuring Dr. Dave Young

Ukraine Brewtalk Featuring Dr. Dave Young

Contributors: David Young MD, John Hesling MD, Travis Barlock MD, Jeffrey Olson Summary: In this episode, Dr. Travis Barlock and Jeffrey Olson meet in the studio to discuss several clips from the even...

21 Heinä 202338min

Podcast 860: Thyrotoxicosis

Podcast 860: Thyrotoxicosis

Contributor: Travis Barlock MD Educational Pearls: Clinical picture: A patient comes in with altered mental status, tachycardia, fever, elevated T4, and low TSH. What's the diagnosis?... Thyrotoxicosi...

20 Heinä 20232min

Podcast 859: Teamwork Really Makes the Dream Work

Podcast 859: Teamwork Really Makes the Dream Work

Contributor: Aaron Lessen MD Educational Pearls: 33 Medical residents and 91 nurses at Massachusetts General Hospital were randomized into two groups: Intervention group: 15 PGY-1 residents assig...

10 Heinä 20232min

Podcast 858: Whole Blood Pregnancy Test

Podcast 858: Whole Blood Pregnancy Test

Contributor: Meghan Hurley MD Educational Pearls: What do you do if you need a stat pregnancy test on an incapacitated patient? You can send a serum quantitative human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-H...

3 Heinä 20234min

Podcast 857: Alice in Wonderland Jeopardy

Podcast 857: Alice in Wonderland Jeopardy

Contributor: Chris Holmes MD Educational Pearls: "It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards" - Transient Global Amnesia A syndrome with sudden retrograde memory loss in which patients ...

26 Kesä 20233min

Podcast 856: ED Errors and Counterstudy

Podcast 856: ED Errors and Counterstudy

Contributor: Nicholas Tsipis, MD Educational Pearls: What study was Dr. Tsipis talking about? In December of 2022, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) put out a study titled "Diagn...

19 Kesä 20234min

Suosittua kategoriassa Tiede

tiedekulma-podcast
rss-mita-tulisi-tietaa
rss-poliisin-mieli
docemilia
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-sosiopodi
radio-antro
filocast-filosofian-perusteet
rss-ammamafia
utelias-mieli
mielipaivakirja
rss-bios-podcast
rss-astetta-parempi-elama-podcast
rss-tiedetta-vai-tarinaa
rss-luontopodi-samuel-glassar-tutkii-luonnon-ihmeita