(Mn-DPDP) This agent, mangafodipir trisodium, is a hepatocyte specific MRI contrast agent. Manganese is very toxic, so it has to be chelated and put in the form of a vitamin B6 analog, which is taken up by normal hepatocytes to some extent.
Teslascan® was developed in the early 1980's, went through clinical trials in the early 1990's, and was approved in 1997. One problem with assessing the efficacy of this agent is the fact that the phase III trials finished in the early 1990's, and the techniques used for MR today are very different from the techniques used almost a decade ago.
This contrast agent shortens the T1 relaxation time. On T1 weighted pictures it makes a normal liver look brighter. Since metastases, for example, do not generally take up this agent, the contrast between the enhancing liver and the non-enhancing lesions will increase on T1 weighted pictures. It does not have much effect on T2 weighted images.

GE Healthcare is the result of the merger between GE Medical and Amersham Health in Nov. 2004, after GE acquired Amersham Health for 9.5 billion in Oct. 2003. Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive of General Electric, said, 'Amersham's diagnostic pharmaceutical and life sciences business will add new, high growth platforms to GE Medical's diagnostic imaging, services and healthcare information technology businesses'. GE Healthcare, a UK company, is a unit of General Electric (NYSE: GE). GE Healthcare is a global leader in medical imaging, diagnostic imaging contrast agents, interventional procedures, healthcare services, and information technology. For more than 100 years, health care providers have relied on GE Medical Systems, now GE Healthcare, for high quality medical technology and productivity solutions. GE Healthcare, headquartered now at formerly seat of Amersham Health in Great Britain, operates facilities around the world. Global Operations include organizations on the Americas, Europe, and Asia, including India, Japan, Korea China, Thailand and Vietnam.

MRI Scanners:

0.2T to 1.0T:
to 1.5T:
to 3.0T:

MRI Contrast Agents:

Hepatobiliary chelates used in MRI are paramagnetic contrast agents consisting of a metal ion bound to an organic ligand. Paramagnetic metal ions such as gadolinium improve the MRI signal, but the toxicity of these uncomplexed metal ions makes the use of a chelate to bind the metal ion essential. Due to the hepatocyte uptake of this chelate complex, the different contrast between normal parenchyma and liver lesions improves the detection and characterization of specific diseases. In addition, the hepatobiliary excretion allows the assessment of the hepatobiliary system.
Chelates for hepatobiliary imaging: MultiHance® (Gadobenate Dimeglumine), Teslascan® (Mangafodipir Trisodium), Gd-HIDA, Cr-HIDA, and Fe-EHPG IronIII or other derivatives.

See also Hepatobiliary Contrast Agents, Liver Imaging.