Objective: A new ferric ammonium citrate-cellulose mixture for use in MRI of the esophagus was evaluated for its ability to opacify the esophageal lumen.
Materials and methods: Thirty-two patients with esophageal disorders and ten patients with normal esophagus undergoing MRI at 1.5 T were given approximately 100 ml of the newly developed high-viscosity esophageal contrast preparation. Moreover, six of the patients with esophageal cancer were subjected to a second examination after radiation therapy. A total of 48 MR imagings were performed.
Results: Of the patients examined, successful esophageal opacification, graded as excellent, was obtained in 84.2, 78.9, and 57.9%, of the sagittal, axial, and coronal images, respectively. In cases of extrinsic disease involving the esophagus the contrast medium administration allowed the easy differentiation of the esophagus from adjacent mass lesions and proved very useful in identifying displacement and compression. In cases of esophageal carcinoma the contrast medium administration assisted in the measurement of wall thickness and length of the lesion as well as in the identification of the site of origin of the tumor.
Conclusion: The results indicate that this product effectively opacifies the esophageal lumen in the majority of patients. We found that it is easy to use, is well tolerated, and does not produce artifacts.