MRI Contrast Agent Safety - Video Lesson

Hey everybody! Welcome back to today's lesson on MRI safety. This lesson focuses on MRI contrast agent safety including the different types of agents used, their associated risks, and safety protocols that govern their administration. As an MRI technologist, your role extends beyond image acquisition. You're responsible for ensuring patient safety when administering contrast, so a strong understanding of these concepts is critical to both your success and the safety of your patients. MRI contrast agents enhance visualization of anatomy and pathology by altering local magnetic properties. This causes T1 and T2 relaxation rates of tissues in close proximity to shorten, which results in improved tissue differentiation. The two major categories are gadolinium based agents and iron oxide agents. Gadolinium based contrast agents or GBCAs contain gadolinium, a paramagnetic rare earth metal.