PANCREATIC ENHANCEMENT AND PULSE SEQUENCE-ANALYSIS USING LOW-DOSE MANGAFODIPIR TRISODIUM

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pancreatic enhanc ement with low-dose mangafodipir trisodium (5 mu mol/kg) using three d ifferent T1-weighted pulse sequences. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Fifteen pa tients, six of whom had proven focal pancreatic tumors, underwent T1-w eighted gradient-recalled echo imaging, spin-echo imaging, and fat-sup pressed spin-echo imaging before and 30 min after injection of 5 mu mo l/kg of mangafodipir trisodium. Region-of-interest measurements were o btained in the pancreas before and after contrast enhancement. Signal- to-noise ratios were calculated in all 15 patients. Contrast-to-noise ratios were calculated in the six patients with pancreatic tumors. RES ULTS. The signal-to-noise ratios of the pancreas increased after injec tion of mangafodipir trisodium on all three T1-weighted pulse sequence s (p < .001). Enhanced fat-suppressed sequences (29 +/- 7.7) and gradi ent-recalled echo sequences (29 +/- 9.6) had the highest signal-to-noi se ratios. Contrast-to-noise ratios between normal pancreatic tissue a nd pancreatic tumor also increased after contrast administration (p < .05) and were highest on the fat-suppressed (-9.6 +/- 4.0) pulse seque nce. CONCLUSION. Mangafodipir trisodium produced marked pancreatic enh ancement at a dose of 5 mu mol/kg for all three T1-weighted pulse sequ ences. The enhanced T1-weighted spin-echo fat-suppressed sequence show ed the highest signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios.