title: Targeted MRI contrast agents for pediatric hepatobiliary disease.
abstract: New options are available for the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessment of pediatric hepatobiliary disease. This article describes the potential utility for MRI with contrast agents tailored for hepatobiliary imaging. MRI contrast agents that preferentially target the liver may be helpful in characterizing liver masses and bile duct abnormalities in select children. The imaging approach is noninvasive and relatively rapid to perform. It also provides anatomic and functional information and is a radiation-free alternative to other imaging strategies. This relatively new imaging procedure is placed in the context of more established imaging modalities. The pharmacokinetics, technical considerations, and potential applications of these hepatobiliary-specific contrast agents also are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, University of California-San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors.forename: Jesse L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Courtier
authors.forename: Emily R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Perito
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.forename: Patrika
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Melvin B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Heyman
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: MacKenzie
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media