MY CONTENT

The ASNR Standards and Guidelines Committee reviewed new research evidence on GBCA safety and its relevance to current MRI contrast administration guidelines for patients with CKD. The recommendations for CKD patients are that there is no longer a need to withhold group II GBCAs when medically indicated for diagnosis and that it is not necessary to check renal function for these agents.

In this retrospective study, the authors assessed the tolerability and technical performance of increased intrathecal doses (20 mL) of myelographic contrast compared with standard doses (10 mL). They found that the increased volume of intrathecal contrast was well-tolerated and improved the technical performance of LDCTM.

This prospective study of patients with CVF compared the levels of β-trace protein (BTP) in paraspinal veins near the CVF with those in the peripheral blood and in the peripheral blood of controls. Venous blood at the site of the CVF was shown to have higher BTP values compared with peripheral blood in most patients with CVF. It was also found that patients with CVF had a lower peripheral blood BTP level compared with controls.