Rationale and objectives: Human bone tissue was collected following administration of a clinical dose of gadolinium chelate (0.1 mmol per kg) to patients undergoing hip joint replacement surgery to determine if measurable differences in Gd deposition occur between 2 widely available magnetic resonance contrast agents.
Materials and methods: Gd HP-DO3A (ProHance), Gd DTPA-BMA (Omniscan), and an age-matched control population without history of gadolinium chelate administration were compared. Bone samples were collected fresh, placed in refrigeration, and subsequently frozen. Tissue digestion was performed using a microwave tissue digester and concentrated nitric acid. A method of tissue analysis was created for gadolinium using inductivity coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).
Results: Tissue retention was 1.18 +/- .787 microg Gd/g bone (N = 10) for Omniscan and 0.466 +/- .387 microg Gd/g bone (N = 8) for ProHance measured by ICP-AES.
Conclusion: Omniscan (Gd DTPA-BMA) left 2.5 times more Gd behind in bone than did ProHance (Gd HP-DO3A).