FERRISTENE AS INTESTINAL MR CONTRAST AGENT - DISTRIBUTION AND SAFETY OF A FAST INGESTION PROCEDURE WITH ORAL METOCLOPRAMIDE

Purpose: To compare the small bowel distribution and safety of a fast ingestion procedure of ferristene to those of the standard ingestion p rocedure. Material and Methods: Sixty-four patients received 0.5 g/l f erristene in 800 mi water. Thirty-four patients of the fast ingestion group ingested ferristene with 20 mg of oral metoclopramide during the course of 30 min before MR imaging and received an i.v. injection of an antiperistaltic agent during the MR study. Thirty patients of the s tandard group ingested ferristene during the course of 2 h, without ad ditional drugs. Ferristene distribution was assessed by 2 reviewers an d adverse events were recorded. Results: More than 50% of the small bo wel segments analyzed were filled with ferristene in 30 patients in th e fast ingestion group and in 28 patients in the standard ingestion gr oup. One patient in each group experienced nausea and/or vomiting. Som e bloating or sensation of fullness was reported by 2 patients in the fast ingestion group and by 3 patients in the standard ingestion group . Conclusion: The distribution of ferristene in the small bowel and th e safety of the procedure were thus similar in the 2 groups using eith er a fast ingestion procedure with oral metoclopramide or the more tim e-consuming standard ingestion procedure.