title: Enhancing lesions of the brain: intraindividual crossover comparison of contrast enhancement after gadobenate dimeglumine versus established gadolinium comparators.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA) possesses a two-fold higher T1 relaxivity compared to other available gadolinium contrast agents. The study was conducted to evaluate the benefits of this increased relaxivity for MR imaging of intracranial enhancing brain lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five patients (31 males, 14 females) with suspected glioma or cerebral metastases were evaluated. Patients received Gd-BOPTA and either Gd-DTPA (n = 23) or Gd-DOTA (n = 22) in fully randomized order at 0.1 mmol/kg body weight and at a flow rate of 2 ml/s. The second agent was administered 1-14 days after the first agent. Images were acquired precontrast (T1wSE, T2wFSE sequences) and at sequential postcontrast time-points (T1wSE sequences at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 and 15 min and a T1wSE-MT sequence at 12 min) at 1.0 or 1.5 T using a head coil. Determination of contrast enhancement was performed quantitatively (lesion-to-brain ratio, contrast-to-noise ratio, and percent enhancement) and qualitatively (border delineation, internal morphology, contrast enhancement, and diagnostic preference) by two independent, fully blinded readers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Images from 43/45 patients were available for quantitative assessment. After correction for precontrast values, significantly greater lesion-to-brain ratio (P < .003), contrast-to-noise ratio (P < .03), and percent enhancement (P < .0001) was noted by both readers for Gd-BOPTA-enhanced images at all time-points from 2 min postcontrast. Qualitative assessment of all patients similarly revealed significant preference for Gd-BOPTA for lesion border delineation (P < .004), lesion internal morphology (P < .008), contrast enhancement (P < .0001), and diagnostic preference (P < .0005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The greater T1 relaxivity of Gd-BOPTA permits improved visualization of intracranial enhancing lesions compared to conventional gadolinium agents.
authors: German Cancer Research Center, Department of Radiology, INF 280, Heidelberg. M.Essig@dkfz-heidelberg.de
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Essig
authors: Armando
authors: A
authors: Tartaro
authors: Tomasso
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authors: Tartaglione
authors: Gianpaolo
authors: G
authors: Pirovano
authors: Miles A
authors: MA
authors: Kirchin
authors: Alberto
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authors: Spinazzi