Compositions for increasing the image contrast in diagnostic investigations of the digestive tract of patients
AssigneeSintetica S.A.
InventorsHerve Tournier, Roland Hyacinthe, Friedrich Cavagna
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Abstract
Suspensions of either echogenic or magnetic particles in aqueous bioadhesive carriers effectively improve imaging by echography, respectively NMRI, of the digestive tract. Affinity of the compositions for the gastric mucosa can be adapted to the needs by appropriately selecting the carrier in function to inherent bioadhesive capacity: this technique leads to improved visualization of selected portions of the lumen.
Claims18
A composition for enhancing the contrast in NMR imaging of the digestive tract of humans and animals, the composition comprising magnetically responsive particles in admixture with or chemically bonded to at least one physiologically acceptable water insoluble carrier phase, said carrier phase being mucoadhesive and water-swellable, wherein said mucoadhesive carrier phase comprises polymers and copolymers of acrylic acid cross-linked with polyfunctional allyl acrylates or with polyfunctional allyl ethers of glycols or sugars and, to control the rate of transit through the digestive tract, said composition has an administrable pH of between 1 and 8.
A method for the NMR imaging of the digestive tract of a human or animal patient comprising (a) orally or enterally administering to said patient an NMR imaging comprising magnetically responsive particles in admixture with or chemically bonded to at least one physiologically acceptable water insoluble carrier phase, said carrier phase being mucoadhesive and water-swellable, wherein said mucoadhesive carrier phase comprises polymers and copolymers of acyrlic acid cross-linked with polyfunctional allyl acrylates or with polyfunctional allyl ethers of glycols or sugars and, to control the rate of transit through the digestive tract, said composition has an administrable pH of between 1 and 8;
- and thereafter (b) imaging successive sections of the digestive tract as said imaging composition transits therethrough.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.