MRI Contrast Agents Flashcards
6 cards from real MRI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 MRI Contrast Agents flashcards as text
Gadolinium retention in the brain has been observed particularly in which structure on unenhanced T1-weighted images in patients receiving multiple GBCA doses?
Answer: Dentate nucleus of the cerebellum
Gadolinium deposition in the dentate nucleus and globus pallidus manifests as T1 hyperintensity on unenhanced brain MRI after multiple GBCA administrations.
Which of the following best describes a blood-pool GBCA used in MR angiography?
Answer: It binds reversibly to albumin, prolonging intravascular residence time
Blood-pool agents (e.g., gadofosveset) bind reversibly to albumin, extending their half-life in the vascular space and allowing steady-state MRA over a longer acquisition window.
For a contrast-enhanced MRA of the aorta, the bolus tracking technique monitors contrast arrival in which vessel to trigger the 3D acquisition?
Answer: Abdominal aorta or descending thoracic aorta at the level of interest
A monitoring slice is placed at the aorta at the target level; when the contrast bolus arrives (signal threshold), the 3D acquisition is automatically triggered.
Which of the following is the correct management for a patient who experiences an acute severe allergic-like reaction (anaphylaxis) following GBCA injection?
Answer: Stop contrast injection, call code team, administer epinephrine 0.3 mg IM (1:1000)
Anaphylaxis requires immediate cessation of injection, emergency team activation, and epinephrine 0.3 mg IM (1:1000 concentration) in the lateral thigh as first-line treatment.
What is the primary advantage of using a higher-relaxivity GBCA (e.g., gadobenate dimeglumine) compared to a standard-relaxivity agent?
Answer: It can be used at a lower dose to achieve comparable enhancement
Higher relaxivity means greater T1 shortening per unit concentration, so a lower molar dose can produce equivalent or superior enhancement compared to standard agents.
The term 'T1 mapping' in cardiac MRI using gadolinium is used to quantify which clinically important tissue property?
Answer: Extracellular volume fraction (ECV) as a marker of fibrosis
Pre- and post-contrast T1 mapping allows calculation of the extracellular volume (ECV), which is an established quantitative biomarker of diffuse myocardial fibrosis.