CONTRAST ENHANCEMENT OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL-TRACT ON MR IMAGES USINGINTRAVENOUS GADOLINIUM-DTPA

Gadopentetate dimeglumine was administered intravenously to 16 patient s undergoing abdominal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. T1-weighted an d fat-suppressed T1-weighted images were acquired before and after int ravenous administration of 0.1 mmol/kg gadopentetate dimeglumine. The stomach, small bowel, and colon were analyzed regarding the presence a nd relative intensity of contrast enhancement. Diffuse enhancement of the gastrointestinal tract wall was observed in all patients following contrast material administration. Such enhancement was most conspicuo us on fat-suppressed T1-weighted images. Quantitative measurements ind icated that the wall of the gastrointestinal tract enhanced approximat ely 100% with gadopentetate dimeglumine. This study demonstrates that enhancement of the normal gastrointestinal tract occurs routinely when intravenous gadopentetate dimeglumine is administered, and such enhan cement should not be considered indicative of gastrointestinal patholo gy. Furthermore, it suggests the potential utility for using intraveno us rather than orally administered contrast agents to provide enhancem ent of the gastrointestinal tract on MR images.