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CHICAGO—There is no evidence to suggest that accumulation of gadolinium in the brain speeds cognitive decline, according to research presented at RSNA 2017, the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.*
Recent studies have revealed that traces of the contrast agent gadolinium can be retained in the brain for years after magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration recommended cautious use of gadolinium-based contrast agents due to the risk of gadolinium retention in various organs, including the brain.
The European Medicines Agency went a step further, recommending restricting the use of some linear gadolinium agents and suspending the authorization of other agents.
Still, very little is known about the health effects of gadolinium that is retained in the brain.
Robert J. McDonald, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and his colleagues conducted a study to gain some insight.
The team used the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA), the world’s largest prospective population-based cohort on aging, to study the effects of gadolinium exposure on neurologic and neurocognitive function.
All MCSA participants underwent extensive neurologic evaluation and neuropsychological testing at baseline and 15-month follow-up intervals.
The researchers compared neurologic and neurocognitive scores of patients with no history of prior gadolinium exposure and patients who underwent prior MRI with gadolinium-based contrast agents.
The team adjusted their analysis for age, sex, education level, baseline neurocognitive performance, and other factors.
The study included 4261 cognitively normal men and women with a mean age of 72 (range, 50-90). The mean duration of study participation was 3.7 years.
Roughly a quarter of the patients (25.6%, n=1092) had received gadolinium-based contrast agents. These patients received a median of 2 doses (range, 1-28), and the median time since first gadolinium exposure was 5.6 years.
The researchers found that gadolinium exposure was not a significant predictor of cognitive decline, as assessed by changes in clinical dementia rating (P=0.48), Blessed dementia scale (P=0.68), and mental status exam score (P=0.55).
Likewise, gadolinium exposure was not a significant predictor of diminished neuropsychological performance (P=0.13) or diminished motor performance (P=0.43), as assessed by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale.
Finally, gadolinium exposure was not an independent risk factor in the rate of cognitive decline from normal cognitive status to dementia (P=0.91).
“Right now, there is concern over the safety of gadolinium-based contrast agents, particularly relating to gadolinium retention in the brain and other tissues,” Dr McDonald said.
“This study provides useful data that, at the reasonable doses 95% of the population is likely to receive in their lifetime, there is no evidence, at this point, that gadolinium retention in the brain is associated with adverse clinical outcomes.” 
*Abstract SSM16-01: Assessment of the Neurologic Effects of Intracranial Gadolinium Deposition Using a Large Population Based Cohort.
CHICAGO—There is no evidence to suggest that accumulation of gadolinium in the brain speeds cognitive decline, according to research presented at RSNA 2017, the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.*
Recent studies have revealed that traces of the contrast agent gadolinium can be retained in the brain for years after magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration recommended cautious use of gadolinium-based contrast agents due to the risk of gadolinium retention in various organs, including the brain.
The European Medicines Agency went a step further, recommending restricting the use of some linear gadolinium agents and suspending the authorization of other agents.
Still, very little is known about the health effects of gadolinium that is retained in the brain.
Robert J. McDonald, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and his colleagues conducted a study to gain some insight.
The team used the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA), the world’s largest prospective population-based cohort on aging, to study the effects of gadolinium exposure on neurologic and neurocognitive function.
All MCSA participants underwent extensive neurologic evaluation and neuropsychological testing at baseline and 15-month follow-up intervals.
The researchers compared neurologic and neurocognitive scores of patients with no history of prior gadolinium exposure and patients who underwent prior MRI with gadolinium-based contrast agents.
The team adjusted their analysis for age, sex, education level, baseline neurocognitive performance, and other factors.
The study included 4261 cognitively normal men and women with a mean age of 72 (range, 50-90). The mean duration of study participation was 3.7 years.
Roughly a quarter of the patients (25.6%, n=1092) had received gadolinium-based contrast agents. These patients received a median of 2 doses (range, 1-28), and the median time since first gadolinium exposure was 5.6 years.
The researchers found that gadolinium exposure was not a significant predictor of cognitive decline, as assessed by changes in clinical dementia rating (P=0.48), Blessed dementia scale (P=0.68), and mental status exam score (P=0.55).
Likewise, gadolinium exposure was not a significant predictor of diminished neuropsychological performance (P=0.13) or diminished motor performance (P=0.43), as assessed by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale.
Finally, gadolinium exposure was not an independent risk factor in the rate of cognitive decline from normal cognitive status to dementia (P=0.91).
“Right now, there is concern over the safety of gadolinium-based contrast agents, particularly relating to gadolinium retention in the brain and other tissues,” Dr McDonald said.
“This study provides useful data that, at the reasonable doses 95% of the population is likely to receive in their lifetime, there is no evidence, at this point, that gadolinium retention in the brain is associated with adverse clinical outcomes.”
*Abstract SSM16-01: Assessment of the Neurologic Effects of Intracranial Gadolinium Deposition Using a Large Population Based Cohort.
CHICAGO—There is no evidence to suggest that accumulation of gadolinium in the brain speeds cognitive decline, according to research presented at RSNA 2017, the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.*
Recent studies have revealed that traces of the contrast agent gadolinium can be retained in the brain for years after magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration recommended cautious use of gadolinium-based contrast agents due to the risk of gadolinium retention in various organs, including the brain.
The European Medicines Agency went a step further, recommending restricting the use of some linear gadolinium agents and suspending the authorization of other agents.
Still, very little is known about the health effects of gadolinium that is retained in the brain.
Robert J. McDonald, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and his colleagues conducted a study to gain some insight.
The team used the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA), the world’s largest prospective population-based cohort on aging, to study the effects of gadolinium exposure on neurologic and neurocognitive function.
All MCSA participants underwent extensive neurologic evaluation and neuropsychological testing at baseline and 15-month follow-up intervals.
The researchers compared neurologic and neurocognitive scores of patients with no history of prior gadolinium exposure and patients who underwent prior MRI with gadolinium-based contrast agents.
The team adjusted their analysis for age, sex, education level, baseline neurocognitive performance, and other factors.
The study included 4261 cognitively normal men and women with a mean age of 72 (range, 50-90). The mean duration of study participation was 3.7 years.
Roughly a quarter of the patients (25.6%, n=1092) had received gadolinium-based contrast agents. These patients received a median of 2 doses (range, 1-28), and the median time since first gadolinium exposure was 5.6 years.
The researchers found that gadolinium exposure was not a significant predictor of cognitive decline, as assessed by changes in clinical dementia rating (P=0.48), Blessed dementia scale (P=0.68), and mental status exam score (P=0.55).
Likewise, gadolinium exposure was not a significant predictor of diminished neuropsychological performance (P=0.13) or diminished motor performance (P=0.43), as assessed by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale.
Finally, gadolinium exposure was not an independent risk factor in the rate of cognitive decline from normal cognitive status to dementia (P=0.91).
“Right now, there is concern over the safety of gadolinium-based contrast agents, particularly relating to gadolinium retention in the brain and other tissues,” Dr McDonald said.
“This study provides useful data that, at the reasonable doses 95% of the population is likely to receive in their lifetime, there is no evidence, at this point, that gadolinium retention in the brain is associated with adverse clinical outcomes.”
*Abstract SSM16-01: Assessment of the Neurologic Effects of Intracranial Gadolinium Deposition Using a Large Population Based Cohort.