Video: Could an Emerging MRI Contrast Agent Be a Viable Option for Pediatric Patients?

For pediatric patients who may need multiple magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams over their lifetime, the emerging MRI contrast agent gadoquatrane may provide a low-dose alternative, according to new research findings presented at the recent Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conference.

For the Quanti pediatric study, researchers evaluated the use of gadoquatrane at a 0.04 Gd/kg of the body weight for pediatric patients ranging between less than 2 years of age and up to 18 years of age. The dosing regimen represented a 60 percent reduction in gadolinium use in comparison to the 0.1 mmol Gd/kg bw dosing employed with established gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs), according to the study authors.

The researchers found that gadoquatrane offered improved visualization of enhancement and delineation over pre-contrast MRI and exhibited similar pharmacokinetic and safety profiles across pediatric patients and adult populations.

In a recent interview at the RSNA conference, Konstanze Diefenbach, M.D., cited the high relaxivity of gadoquatrane as a key factor in its effectiveness at lower dosing in pediatric patients.

“That allows us to have a similar efficacy as with a full dose and other gadolinium-based contrast agents, but indeed using up to 60 percent less gadolinium,” maintained Dr. Diefenbach, the head of radiology research and development at Bayer Pharmaceuticals, “We believe that is an important feature of the compound, of the molecule, per se, allowing us to maintain the same efficacy while we are having a substantially lower dose.”

In an interview at the RSNA conference, Talissa Altes, M.D., said the low-dosage capability with gadoquatrane may lead to significant utility for MRI scans in the pediatric population.

“For me, having 60 percent less gadolinium exposure to the patient in a very stable agent seems like a large advantage, particularly for those children that require multiple MRs in their lifetimes,” noted Dr. Altes, a professor and chair of radiology at the University of Missouri.

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “Can AI Assessment of Longitudinal MRI Scans Improve Prediction for Pediatric Glioma Recurrence?,” “What New Lung MRI Research Reveals About Post-COVID Conditions in Children and Adolescents” and “Can Abbreviated MRI Have an Impact in Neuroimaging?”)

For more insights from Drs. Altes and Diefenbach, watch the video below.

Reference

1. 1.Glutig K, Jurkiewicz E, Gao Z, et al. The Quanti pediatric study: pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of gadoquatrane in pediatric patients undergoing contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) with a reduced gadolinium dose. Presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting, November 30-December 4, 2025, Chicago.