Blueberry juice: preliminary evaluation as an oral contrast agent in gastrointestinal MR imaging.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the use of blueberry juice as an oral contrast agent in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.


METHODS
MR imaging of phantoms of blueberry juice and of manganese chloride solutions with different manganese concentrations were conducted. Patient trials were conducted to evaluate manganese blood levels and signal intensity changes on MR images of the abdomen. T1- and T2-weighted conventional spin-echo MR imaging was performed at various field strengths. Six radiologists graded image contrast; signal intensities were calculated.


RESULTS
T1 and T2 relaxation curves for blueberry juice and manganese chloride showed similar signal intensity profiles as a function of manganese concentration. Blood concentrations of manganese were unchanged before and after an oral dose of blueberry juice that contained 18 mg of manganese. The results of patient studies indicated that the optimal oral dose of manganese in blueberry juice was 3-4 mg/dL. T1 and T2 shortening were apparent at field strengths of 0.2-1.5 T.


CONCLUSIONS
At appropriate concentrations, blueberry juice has the potential to be an effective oral contrast agent for MR imaging.
Hiraishi
K
K
Department of Radiology, Osaka Medical College, Japan.
Narabayashi
I
I
Fujita
O
O
Yamamoto
K
K
Sagami
A
A
Hisada
Y
Y
Saika
Y
Y
Adachi
I
I
Hasegawa
H
H
D000328:Adult; D001628:Beverages; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004064:Digestive System / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008345:Manganese / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D008961:Models, Structural
D003287:Contrast Media; D008345:Manganese