Quantitative Analysis of Gadolinium Deposits in Liver Tissue of Patients After Single or Multiple Gadolinium-based Contrast Agent Application

Abstract

Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) are widely used in magnetic resonance imaging. Concerns exist regarding gadolinium deposition and its potential histopathologic tissue alterations, especially after repeated administrations of linear, less stable GBCAs. This study aimed to quantify gadolinium mass fractions in liver specimens of subjects exposed to GBCAs in correlation with histopathologic features. In this study, mass fractions of gadolinium in human liver specimens from 25 subjects who underwent liver tumor resection surgery and had received GBCA (1 to 9 times over 4 years), were quantitatively analyzed using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Histomorphology was assessed based on the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS). Our results suggest that after intravenous administration of GBCA, a small fraction of gadolinium is retained in the liver over a time period of at least several weeks. A relationship was observed between Gadolinium retention and the number of GBCA administrations, but not with the cumulative dose and the degree of fatty liver disease