Objective: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively assess the frequency, manifestations, and severity of acute adverse reactions associated with administration of two gadolinium-based contrast agents to patients who underwent MRI at a single large academic institution.
Materials and methods: Data from continuous quality assurance records on the number of administrations of and acute adverse reactions to gadopentetate dimeglumine and gadobenate dimeglumine at our institution October 2007 to December 2008 were tabulated and analyzed. During the investigation period, 32,659 administrations of gadolinium-based contrast agents were performed for MRI examinations. Of these, 27,956 administrations were gadopentetate dimeglumine, and 4,703 administrations were gadobenate dimeglumine. Data were collected on the frequency and severity of acute adverse reactions.
Results: A total of 51 acute adverse reactions occurred in 50 patients (16 men, 34 women; mean age, 48 years), accounting for 0.16% of all administrations (51/32,659). Thirty-eight reactions (38/27,956, 0.14%) were associated with gadopentetate dimeglumine, and 13 (13/4,703, 0.28%) were associated with gadobenate dimeglumine. Forty-three reactions were mild, six were moderate, and two were severe. The severe reactions occurred with the use of gadobenate dimeglumine.
Conclusion: The rates of acute adverse reactions to gadopentetate dimeglumine and gadobenate dimeglumine were 0.14% and 0.28%, respectively. The overall adverse reaction rate was 0.16% in our patient sample. Direct comparison of adverse reaction rates of the two agents was not possible because of the retrospective uncontrolled study design.