title: Safety of gadolinium-based contrast material in sickle cell disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the safety of intravenously administered gadolinium-based contrast material in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  All pediatric and adult SCD patients evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at our institution between January 1995 and July 2009 were identified. The medical records of SCD patients who underwent contrast-enhanced MRI as well as an equal-sized cohort of SCD patients who underwent unenhanced MRI were reviewed for adverse (vaso-occlusive and hemolytic) events within 1 week following imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight (five mild and three moderate) adverse events were documented within 1 week following contrast-enhanced MRI (38 patients and 61 contrast injections), while six (five mild and one moderate) similar events occurred within 1 week following unenhanced MRI (61 patients and 61 unenhanced MRI examinations). This difference in the number of adverse events was not statistically significant (odds ratio = 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4, 5.2). No severe adverse event occurred in either patient cohort.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gadolinium-based contrast materials do not appear to be associated with increased risk of vaso-occlusive or hemolytic adverse events when administered to SCD patients. Larger, prospective studies using multiple gadolinium-based contrast materials would be useful to confirm the results of our investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Section of Pediatric Radiology, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5252, USA. jonadill@med.umich.edu
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Dillman
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Cohan
authors.forename: Elaine M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Caoili
authors.forename: Hero K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Strouse
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000009:adverse effects; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061214:Patient Safety; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA