Mitigating brain MR imaging degradation due to ferumoxytol therapy in patients with iron deficiency anemia

Seunghong Rhee; An M. Tran; Thomas J. O’Neill

doi:10.3174/ajnr.A8772

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ABSTRACT

Ferumoxytol, an FDA-approved treatment for iron deficiency anemia, is frequently used off-label as an MRI contrast agent. However, its unintended effects on brain MRI following anemia treatment, particularly in SWI and GRE sequences, remain insufficiently addressed. This study evaluates the optimal time interval between therapeutic ferumoxytol administration and brain MRI to minimize such effects. Analyzing 40 patients who underwent MRI within 3 months of ferumoxytol treatment, we found that 68% exhibited enhancement or signal drop on T1 weighted images and 63% showed susceptibility artifacts on SWI/GRE sequences. A 5–6 day interval between ferumoxytol administration and MRI examination is recommended to reduce these effects.

ABBREVIATIONS: SWI = susceptibility weighted imaging; GRE = gradient recalled echo; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging.