Hemodynamic tolerance of intravascular contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging.
OBJECTIVE
Intravascular contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facilitate the quantification of tissue perfusion. The authors determined the hemodynamic tolerance of these agents.


METHODS
Doses of 0.05, 0.15, and 0.45 mmol/kg of the polymeric intravascular contrast agent gadolinium-DTPA-polylysine, and di-nitrobenzyl-gadolinium-DTPA, a non-polymeric intravascular contrast agent with high protein binding, and gadolinium-DTPA dimeglumine, a paramagnetic contrast agent with extracellular distribution, were injected into 18 normal male rats as a peripheral intravenous bolus. Systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure, left ventricular end-diastolic and developed pressure, positive rate of pressure change (+dP/dt), dP/dt, the rate-pressure product, and heart rate were recorded during a period of 20 minutes. Hemodynamic effects were established by analysis of variance for repeated measurements.


RESULTS
There was a transient increase of all blood pressure parameters and contractility for Gd-DTPA-polylysine at the dose of 0.45 mmol/kg only. Di-nitrobenzyl-Gd-DTPA increased blood pressure parameters at 0.45 mmol/kg only. At doses of 0.05 and 0.15 mmol/kg, no significant hemodynamic effects were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors conclude that Gd-DTPA-polylysine is hemodynamically safe at doses to 0.15 mmol/kg and acts like a plasma expander at higher doses after peripheral bolus injection in normal rats. Additional investigations are indicated to elucidate the mechanism of a nonsignificant and satiable transient hemodynamic depression after injection of 0.05 mmol/kg DNB-Gd-DTPA.
Knollmann
F D
FD
Strahlenklinik und Poliklinik, Virchow Klinikum, Medizinische Fakultät, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
Sorge
R
R
Mühler
A
A
Mäurer
J
J
Muschick
P
P
Böck
J C
JC
Felix
R
R
D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011107:Polylysine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012449:Safety
D003287:Contrast Media; C068674:polylysine-(Gd-DTPA); D011107:Polylysine; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA