Determination of non-functioning areas of the g.i. tract using MRI of manganese composition

摘要

The invention provides a method of functional imaging of a human or non-human animal body, which method comprises administering into the gastrointestinal tract of a said body an effective amount of a composition comprising (a) a first contrast agent comprising a physiologically tolerable manganese compound or a salt thereof, together with (b) a second contrast agent, and generating a functional image of the gastrointestinal tract of said body. This imaging technique has surprisingly been found to provide clear delineation of those portions of the gut wall in which manganese uptake is occurring, thereby enabling not only the detection of tumors in the gut, but also the identification of regions of the gut which may be functioning abnormally.