BLUEBERRY JUICE - PRELIMINARY EVALUATION AS AN ORAL CONTRAST AGENT INGASTROINTESTINAL MR-IMAGING

PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of blueberry juice as an oral contrast ag ent in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR imag ing of phantoms of blueberry juice and of manganese chloride solutions with different manganese concentrations were conducted. Patient trial s were conducted to evaluate manganese blood levels and signal intensi ty changes on MR images of the abdomen. T1- and T2-weighted convention al spin-echo MR imaging was performed at various field strengths. Six radiologists graded image contrast; signal intensities were calculated . RESULTS: T1 and T2 relaxation curves for blueberry juice and mangane se chloride showed similar signal intensity profiles as a function of manganese concentration. Blood concentrations of manganese were unchan ged before and after an oral dose of blueberry juice that contained 18 mg of manganese. The results of patient studies indicated that the op timal oral dose of manganese in blueberry juice was 3-4 mg/dL. T1 and T2 shortening were apparent at field strengths of 0.2-1.5 T. CONCLUSIO N: At appropriate concentrations, blueberry juice has the potential to be an effective oral contrast agent for MR imaging.