Mangafodipir trisodium: review of its use as an injectable contrast medium for magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Mangafodipir trisodium is a hepatobiliary contrast agent, taken up by the hepatocytesand largely excreted via the bile ducts. The agent increases the signal intensity of the normal liver,and to a lesser extent of the pancreas, adrenal glands, kidneys and myocardium, on T1-weightedimaging. The increase of the signal intensity on the T1 images allows better visualization offocal lesions, especially of those that are of non-hepatocitary origin such as metastases. For thisreason the most important indication for the use of mangafodipir trisodium is in detecting livermetastases, especially when the information may influence therapeutic planning, which in manycases is surgical resection. New data show that this liver-specific contrast agent is accurate indetecting small lesions and in assessing the liver status following neoadjuvant chemotherapy,where other imaging techniques, such as CT and PET, fail. Other lesser indications for studieswith mangafodipir trisodium are: in characterizing liver and pancreatic lesions; in identifyingbiliary leakage following bile duct and/or liver surgery; and possibly in the future in the assessmentof the extent of myocardial damage.