Loading
The dyes injected into a vein during many MRI scans. They make tumours and inflamed tissue light up, which helps find cancers, measure them and check how they respond to treatment.
Most MRI contrast agents contain gadolinium held in a chelate. The WHO groups them as paramagnetic contrast media (ATC V08CA), including gadoteric acid, gadodiamide, gadoteridol, gadobenic acid, gadobutrol, gadoxetic acid, gadopiclenol and gadoquatrane, and lists iron oxide nanoparticles separately (V08CB). In the United States every gadolinium agent's label carries a boxed warning on intrathecal use and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. Most are general agents that show where the blood-brain barrier or vessels are abnormal; gadoxetate is taken up by liver cells and is used to characterise liver lesions; FeraBright, an iron agent, was approved in 2025 for brain MRI in people with known or suspected brain tumours.
Paramagnetic gadolinium (or superparamagnetic iron) shortens the T1 or T2 relaxation of nearby water protons; where the agent accumulates, in leaky tumour vessels or in liver cells for hepatobiliary agents, the MRI signal changes.
An iron-based MRI dye designed to show whether lymph nodes contain cancer. Its European application was withdrawn in 2007 and it is not authorised there.
An iron-based MRI dye, not gadolinium, approved in the United States in 2025 for brain scans in adults with known or suspected brain tumours.
An MRI dye given into a vein for scans of the brain and spine and for imaging blood vessels.
A widely used MRI dye given into a vein. Its American licence includes brain and spine scans and breast MRI to see how far a breast cancer extends.
An older MRI dye given into a vein for scans of the brain, spine, chest, abdomen and pelvis.
A newer MRI dye given into a vein, approved in 2022 in the United States and 2023 in Europe, for brain and body scans including the liver, breast, lung and prostate in Europe.
A gadolinium MRI dye approved in the United States in 2026 for brain and body scans.
An MRI dye given into a vein for scans of the brain and spine, used for example to show brain tumours and metastases.
An MRI dye given into a vein for scans of the brain, spine, and head and neck.
An MRI dye injected into a vein that is absorbed by healthy liver cells, so spots in the liver that are not normal liver tissue show up clearly. It is used to find and characterise liver tumours.
A liver MRI dye based on manganese that was authorised in Europe from 1997 to 2012 for finding liver metastases and liver cancer, and is no longer available.
Query for this technology: (TITLE:"Gadolinium-based and other MRI contrast agents" OR ABSTRACT:"Gadolinium-based and other MRI contrast agents" OR TITLE:"MRI contrast" OR ABSTRACT:"MRI contrast" OR TITLE:"MRI dye" OR ABSTRACT:"MRI dye" OR TITLE:"Gadolinium contrast" OR ABSTRACT:"Gadolinium contrast") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Gadolinium-based and other MRI contrast agents, not a curated reading list.
Shares Ultrasound contrast agents (microbubbles), Bracco (Bracco Imaging and Bracco Diagnostics), Hepatocellular carcinoma and the tag contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Bracco (Bracco Imaging and Bracco Diagnostics), Iodinated and barium contrast for CT and X-ray and the tag contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Bracco (Bracco Imaging and Bracco Diagnostics), Iodinated and barium contrast for CT and X-ray and the tag contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Bracco (Bracco Imaging and Bracco Diagnostics), Iodinated and barium contrast for CT and X-ray and the tag contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Bracco (Bracco Imaging and Bracco Diagnostics), Iodinated and barium contrast for CT and X-ray and the tag contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Ultrasound contrast agents (microbubbles), GE HealthCare and the tag contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Iodinated and barium contrast for CT and X-ray, GE HealthCare and the tag contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11.
Shares Iodinated and barium contrast for CT and X-ray, GE HealthCare and the tag contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11.
Every source this page cites, grouped by who published it. Grouping is read from the web address, not assigned by hand.
A source that has moved or gone is reported by the weekly link check. /audit/