Newly released results of a gadolinium study indicate spherical deposits of the heavy metal remain in the brains of rats a month after their last injection.

Brand name gandolinium-based dyes include Dotarem, Eovist, Gadavist, Magnevist, MultiHance, Omniscan and Optimark.

In the gadolinium study, researchers injected rats that had decreased kidney function with gadolinium for 20 days. A control group of rats received saline injections.

Under a microscope, the brains of rats that received Omniscan and MultiHance showed round deposits of gadolinium that looked like “sea urchins” and contained high levels of phosphates, the study reports. Researchers overseeing the gadolinium study said rats that received Dotarem injections did not contain similar  deposits.

Gadolinium Study Could Help Sufferers

For years, some patients who have received gadolinium-based dyes, also known as contrast agents, in conjunction with MRIs have complained of lingering side effects.

Gadolinium-based dyes are used in some Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests because the heavy metal’s magnetic qualities help doctors obtain a more detailed view of the organs, tissues and blood vessels.

An MRI allows an electric current to pass through wire coils, temporarily creating a magnetic field in the patient’s body. A transmitter/receiver in the device allows radio waves to be sent and received, creating a digital image of the scanned part of the body.

The average MRI takes 20 to 90 minutes complete depending upon the part of the body under examination.

Patients have been told that gadolinium leaves the body in 24 hours by being excreted through the urine. But some patients allege the side effects of gadolinium stay within their bodies much longer than that, and they report suffering symptoms that they believe are caused by retained gadolinium.

One condition with a known link to gadolinium is nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, or NSF. Patients who have impaired kidney function are at risk of developing NSF after being injected with gadolinium-based dyes. In 2007, the labels of all gadolinium contrast agents were updated to warn patients suffering from kidney dysfunction.

In December 2017, the FDA began requiring a new warning for all gadolinium-based dyes used in MRIs “concerning gadolinium remaining in patients’ bodies, including the brain, for months to years after receiving these drugs.”

The FDA says that most of the dyes are eliminated through the kidneys, but “trace amounts of gadolinium may stay in the body long-term.”

The new gadolinium study might help researchers figure out why some patients report lingering side effects. Among the issues patients have reported that they believe are a result of gadolinium staying in their bodies are:

• Random pain and burning sensations of the skin
• Joint and bone pain
• Central nervous system problems
• Skin rashes
• Constant headaches
• Fatigue
• Cognitive impairment, feeling like they are in a “fog”

Prior to the release of the new gadolinium study results, Gina Norris filed a gadolinium toxicity lawsuit. The wife of actor and martial arts master Chuck Norris claims she underwent three MRIs with gadolinium dye in 2012 to help doctors confirm her rheumatoid arthritis.

She says in her lawsuit that she was admitted to the hospital in 2013 for burning sensations and pain throughout her body, kidney problems, cognitive impairment, and muscle ailments. Gina’s gadolinium lawsuit says she also has suffered from memory issues and foggy thinking.

In September 2017, an FDA advisory committee said drug manufacturers need to study and quantify the full extent of potentially adverse long-lasting side effects from gadolinium.