Radiology, Vol 181, 475-480, Copyright © 1991 by Radiological Society of North America
Comparison of Kaopectate with barium for negative and positive enteric contrast at MR imaging
DG Mitchell, S Vinitski, FB Mohamed, JF Mammone, K Haidet and MD Rifkin
Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA.
In an evaluation of safe, inexpensive, orally administered contrast agents
for use at magnetic resonance imaging, different concentrations of the clay
agents kaolin-pectate and attapulgite were compared in an in vitro phantom
by performing spin-echo imaging with variable echo times to estimate T2
relaxation time. Additional phantoms containing from 0% to 100% attapulgite
or barium preparations were compared by using spin-echo and
spoiled-gradient-echo techniques to estimate T1, T2, and T2* relaxation
times. In vivo spin-echo and gradient-echo images were obtained of 10
healthy volunteers and of five patients with pancreatic disease after oral
administration of 12-16 oz of attapulgite preparation. T1 and T2 relaxation
times obtained with use of attapulgite were slightly lower than those
obtained with kaolin-pectate at both 50% and 25% concentrations. Compared
with barium, attapulgite had shorter T1, T2, and T2* relaxation times, and
concentration- dependent relaxivity was greater by nearly an order of
magnitude. All subjects were able to drink the attapulgite, and the only
complaints were of bad taste and mildly loose stools.
