Euterpe Olerácea (Açaí) as an Alternative Oral Contrast Agent in MR Imaging (MRI) of the Gastrointestinal (GI) System: Characterization and Clinical Preliminary Results / Caracterização e aplicação preliminares de um agente de contraste oral natural para imagens por ressonância magnética do trato gastrintestinal

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2005

RESUMO

The use of contrast agents is a common practice in medical imaging protocols. Paramagnetic properties of certain compounds present in contrast agents can affect Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) signals. For abdominal applications, they are usually injected, but may also be administered orally. However, their use as a routine technique is limited, mainly due to the lack of appropriate oral contrast agent. Standard agents are expensive and cause, generally, some kind of side effect. We herein present the preliminary characterization and results for implementation of Euterpe olerácea (popularly named Açaí) as a possible clinical oral contrast agent for MRI of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The pulp of Açaí, a fruit from the Amazon area, presented an increase in T1-weighted MRI signal, equivalent to that of Gd-DTPA, and a signal decrease in T2-weighted images. We looked for intrinsic properties that could be responsible for the T1 signal enhancement and T2 opacification. Atomic Absorption spectra revealed the presence of Fe, Mn and Cu ions in Açai. The presence of such ions contribute to the susceptometric value found of -4.83 x 10-6 . This finding assents with the hypothesis that image contrast changes were due to the presence of paramagnetic material. The first measurements in vivo demonstrate a clear increase of contrast due to signal intensity and homogeneity in stomach and bowel walls with the pulp of Açaí, which look like the effects related to standard agents. Consistently, the increase in T1-weighted and the opacification in a T2-weighted acquisition was evident, revealing a biphasic contrast on gastric tissues. Besides, the pulp does not present any side effect. It still has contributed to the diagnostic of pancreatobiliary system at Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), by reducing overlap of the surround tissues and those structures.

ASSUNTO(S)

gastrointestinal imaging mrcp mri agente de contraste oral oral contrast agent mrcp mri trato gastrintestinal

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