Emergency Medical Minute28 Juli 2020

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

Upptäck Premium

Prova 14 dagar kostnadsfritt

Skaffa Premium

Avsnitt(1145)

Podcast 890: Outdoor Cold Air for Croup

Contributor: Jared Scott MD Educational Pearls: Croup is a respiratory condition typically caused by a viral infection (e.g., parainfluenza). The disease is characterized by inflammation of the lary...

14 Feb 20244min

Podcast 889: Blood Pressure Cuff Size

Contributor: Aaron Lessen MD Educational Pearls: Does the size of a blood pressure (BP) cuff matter? A recent randomized crossover trial revealed that, indeed, cuff size can affect blood pressure read...

5 Feb 20241min

Podcast 888: Low GCS and Intubation

Contributor: Aaron Lessen MD Educational Pearls: Is the adage, "GCS of 8, you've got to intubate" accurate? A recent study published in the November 2023 issue of JAMA attempted to answer this questio...

29 Jan 20242min

Podcast 887: Family Presence in Cardiac Resuscitation

Contributor: Aaron Lessen MD Educational Pearls: A 2013 study randomized families of those in cardiac arrest into two groups: Actively offered patients' families the opportunity to observe CPR ...

22 Jan 20242min

Podcast 886: Cough in Kids

Contributor: Ricky Dhaliwal, MD Educational Pearls: Croup Caused by: Parainfluenza, Adenovirus, RSV, Enterovirus (big right now) Age range: 6 months to 3 years Symptoms: Barky cough ...

15 Jan 20246min

Podcast 885: Penetrating Neck Injuries

Contributor: Ricky Dhaliwal MD Educational Pearls: Three zones of the neck with different structures and risks for injuries: Zone 1 is the most caudal region from the clavicle to the cricoid cart...

10 Jan 20244min

Laboring Under Pressure Episode 2: Postpartum Hemorrhage with Dr. Kiersten Williams

Contributor: Kiersten Williams MD, Travis Barlock MD, Jeffrey Olson MS2 Summary: In this episode, Dr. Travis Barlock and Jeffrey Olson meet in the studio to discuss a clip from Dr. Williams' talk at t...

8 Jan 202425min

Podcast 884: Nerve Blocks

Contributor: Meghan Hurley MD Educational Pearls: What is a nerve block? A nerve block is the medical procedure of injecting anesthetic into the area around a nerve to block pain signals. They ar...

1 Jan 20246min

Allt en och samma app

Lyssna på dina favoritpoddar och ljudböcker på ett och samma ställe.

Noga utvalt innehåll

Njut av handplockade tips som passar din smak – utan ändlöst scrollande.

Fortsätt när du vill

Fortsätt lyssna där du slutade – även offline.

Premium

99 kr/ månad

Tillgång till alla Premium-poddar
Reklamfritt premium-innehåll
Avsluta när du vill

Prova 14 dagar gratis

Premium

129 kr/ månad

Tillgång till alla Premium-poddar
Reklamfritt premium-innehåll
Avsluta när du vill
Ett extra konto

Prova 14 dagar gratis

Populärt inom Vetenskap

Berättelserna och rösterna du älskar att lyssna på

Obegränsad lyssning på alla dina favoritpoddar och ljudböcker

Upptäck Premium