By  Dr. Joseph Mercola

Gadolinium, a toxic heavy metal, is the contrast agent of choice in about one-third of high-contrast MRIs. A poll revealed 58% of radiologists avoid informing patients when deposits of toxic contrast agents are discovered to avoid provoking “unnecessary patient anxiety.”

Story at a glance:

• Enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a contrast agent or dye to improve the clarity of the images produced. A poll revealed 58% of radiologists avoid informing patients when deposits of toxic contrast agents are discovered.
• The most commonly cited justification for omitting any mention of gadolinium deposits in radiology reports was to avoid provoking “unnecessary patient anxiety” over toxicity.
• Gadolinium, a toxic heavy metal, is the contrast agent of choice in about one-third of cases. To reduce its toxicity, gadolinium is administered with a chelating agent. Research suggests as much as 25% of the gadolinium injected is not excreted, and deposits are still found in some patients long afterward.
• In a 2016 paper, researchers proposed gadolinium deposits in the body should be viewed as a new disease category, “gadolinium deposition disease.”
• Patients at high risk for gadolinium deposits include those requiring multiple lifetime doses, pregnant women, children and patients with inflammatory conditions. Minimize repeated high-contrast MRIs when possible, particularly closely spaced MRI studies.

An MRI is an imaging study that allows your physician to see detailed pictures of your organs and tissues. The MRI machine uses a large magnet, radio waves and a computer to take detailed cross-sectional pictures of your internal organs and tissues.

The scanner looks like a tube with a table that enables you to slide into the tunnel of the machine to gather data. Unlike CT scans or X-rays that use ionizing radiation known to damage DNA, an MRI uses magnetic fields.

Images from an MRI give physicians better information about abnormalities, tumors, cysts and specific organ problems with your heart, liver, uterus, kidneys and other organs.

In some instances, your physician may want an enhanced MRI, one using a contrast agent or dye to improve the clarity of the images produced.

According to a recent international poll, a majority of radiologists avoid informing patients when deposits of toxic contrast agents are discovered.

FDA guidance on gadolinium

Gadolinium is the contrast agent of choice in about one-third of cases. It’s injected into your body, allowing for greater detail to show up in the MRI images. There’s a price for this, however, as gadolinium is a highly toxic heavy metal.

To reduce its toxicity, gadolinium is administered with a chelating agent. However, research suggests as much as 25% of gadolinium injected in certain patients is not excreted, and deposits are still found in some patients long afterward.

In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began investigating the potential health effects of brain deposits of gadolinium and released guidelines on the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) to lower any potential risk.

Two years later, the agency issued an update saying “Gadolinium retention has not been directly linked to adverse health effects in patients with normal kidney function,” and that the benefits of GBCAs outweigh potential risks. Still, the agency required a new class warning and certain safety measures to be implemented. In its Dec. 19, 2017 safety announcement, the FDA stated:

“… after additional review and consultation with the Medical Imaging Drugs Advisory Committee, we are requiring several actions to alert health care professionals and patients about gadolinium retention after an MRI using a GBCA, and actions that can help minimize problems.

“These include requiring a new patient Medication Guide, providing educational information that every patient will be asked to read before receiving a GBCA. We are also requiring manufacturers of GBCAs to conduct human and animal studies to further assess the safety of these contrast agents …

“Health care professionals should consider the retention characteristics of each agent when choosing a GBCA for patients who may be at higher risk for gadolinium retention …

“These patients include those requiring multiple lifetime doses, pregnant women, children and patients with inflammatory conditions. Minimize repeated GBCA imaging studies when possible, particularly closely spaced MRI studies.”

Patients responsible for requesting medication guide

However, while MRI centers are required to provide the gadolinium medication guide to all first-time patients scheduled for an enhanced MRI, hospital inpatients are not required to receive the guide unless they specifically request it. A rather disconcerting detail mentioned in the FDA’s May 16, 2018 update is:

“A health care professional who determines that it is not in a patient’s best interest to receive a Medication Guide because of significant concerns about its effects may direct that it not be provided to that patient.”

In other words, if they think you might say no to the procedure because you’re worried about heavy metal toxicity, the health professional is allowed to simply withhold the safety information. Only if you specifically ask for it must that guide be provided to you.

While the FDA decided not to restrict the use of any GBCAs, the European Medicines Agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee has recommended suspending the use of four linear gadolinium contrast agents shown to be less stable (and therefore more likely to accumulate in the brain and cause issues in those with kidney problems) than macrocyclic GBCAs.

Most radiologists hide findings of gadolinium deposits

An equally disturbing finding is that 58% of radiologists hide findings of gadolinium deposits from patients when they’re found on scans. As reported by Health Imaging, the most commonly cited justification for omitting any mention of gadolinium deposits in their radiology reports was to avoid provoking “unnecessary patient anxiety.”

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Via https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/toxic-heavy-metals-mris-radiologists-hide-cola/