Gadolinium is a naturally occurring rare-earth metal. This metal has a few properties that are appealing to both the scientific and medical communities. Once such property of Gadolinium is that it is highly paramagnetic, paramagnetic materials are attracted to magnetic fields, thus have a relative magnetic permeability.

Medical uses for Gadolinium include intravenous MRI contrast agents in medical magnetic resonance imaging. Gadolinium is part of the solution that is injected or consumed orally before undergoing an MRI.  

MRI’s stands for magnetic resonance imaging and is a procedure that allows doctors to view different internal structures and functions in the human body. The MRI provides a very clear picture between soft tissue and bones. Most common use of MRI technology is for brain scans, but other common uses are cancer imaging and for cardiovascular scans.

The question of if Gadolinium is safe when used as a MRI contrast dye is currently being evaluated in the medical community. Since Gadolinium is a free ion it is highly toxic in nature.  It is considered safe when taken in what’s called a chelated compound. 

The FDA has approved the use of Gadolinium in the chelated form in contrast agents such as Omniscan, Multihance, Magnevist, ProHance, Vasovist and OptiMARK brands.

Questions remain whether or not this is truly a safe compound or not. There have been reported cases of renal (kidney) problems in some patients. The problem seems to occur with patients with renal failure that have had to undergo dialysis.

It is unclear what the connection is with these patients and the condition they develop after an MRI called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF ) and nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy (NFD). 

Both of these conditions are quite severe and can lead to death. These conditions are not genetic in nature, meaning they people do not have a precondition or are genetically prone to developing this.  So it appears that use of a Gadolinium based contrast agent is the sole cause for NSF and NFD.

While gathering information for this article we have noticed more than a few legal type websites used to gather information from people who have suffered NSF or NFD after an MRI was given.  We are closely watching the legal world to see if any potential class action lawsuits are forming.