MRI GADOLINIUM INJURY LAWYER
Most patients have two options when getting an MRI scan. One option is the old conventional way in which the patient is scanned with the machine and the scans are unenhanced. The other option is to have the scans enhanced. These scans are enhanced with a contrast agent that is injected into a patient’s body prior to the scan. The contrast agent makes the abnormal tissues very bright on the scans and this helps the doctors to identify and assess tumors that are spreading in the body. The FDA has approved five substances to be used in these MRI scans. All of these substances are based on the chemical gadolinium. However, the use of gadolinium has been linked to a disease called Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis or Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy. More commonly called NSF/NFD, this disease can lead to serious injuries and sometimes even death.
NSF is a rare disease mostly affecting patients with serious kidney problems. The first symptoms of NSF appear within six months of the enhanced MRI scan. Even a single exposure of gadolinium to a patient with a kidney disease will trigger NSF. The most common symptom of NSD is hardening of the skin. The skin turns into a hard wooden texture. Other symptoms of NSF include an inability to fully extend one’s arms and legs, difficulty walking, pain in the ribs and hip bones, and high blood pressure. Once a person contracts NSF, there is no reliable cure, only treatments that can slow the progress of NFD.
If you or your loved one has been exposed to Gadolinium anywhere in the U.S., please contact us at the law office of Greenberg & Rudman LLP at 1-800-252-9776 (1-800-ALAWPRO) now to discuss your rights with our experienced attorneys. Help is just a phone call away.
