Contrast agents is used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to improve the visibility of the details of the organ structures.
Gadolinium-based
contrast agent (GBCA) has been used since 1988 in MRI for diagnostic and follow-up of patients, the
gadolinium good properties make it an effective choice for enhance the signal in MRI by increase its intensity and shortening the relaxation time of the
proton. Recently, many studies show a
gadolinium deposition in different human organs due to release of free
gadolinium various body organs or tissue, which led to increased concern about the use of
gadolinium agents, in this study, the potential diseases that may affect the patient and side effects that appear on the patient and related to accumulation of
gadolinium were clarified, the study focused on the organs such as brain and bones in which
gadolinium deposition was found and the lesions associated with it, and the diseases associated with
gadolinium retention includes
Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) and
Gadolinium deposition disease (GDD). Some studies tended to improve the
contrast agents by developing a new non-
gadolinium agents or development of next-generation
gadolinium agents. In this review article the latest knowledge about MRI
contrast agent.