# US 5,702,683 A · Nuclear magnetic resonance contrast agents

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 5,702,683 A
- Document ID: US5702683A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 07/643,092
- Filed: 1991-01-22
- Granted: 1997-12-30
- Earliest claimed: 1989-01-24
- Assignees: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
- Inventors: Paul H. Smith; James R. Brainard; Gordon D. Jarvinen; Robert R. Ryan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5702683A

## CPC

- A61K 49/06: Nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR] contrast preparations; Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] contrast preparations
- Y10T 436/24: Nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance or other spin effects or mass spectrometry
- A61K: PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES (devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms A61J3/00; chemical aspects of, or use of materials for deodorisation of air, for disinfection or sterilisation, or for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles A61L; soap compositions C11D)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A family of contrast agents for use in magnetic resonance imaging and a method of enhancing the contrast of magnetic resonance images of an object by incorporating a contrast agent of this invention into the object prior to forming the images or during formation of the images. A contrast agent of this invention is a paramagnetic lanthanide hexaazamacrocyclic molecule, where a basic example has the formula LnC.sub.16 H.sub.14 N.sub.6. Important applications of the invention are in medical diagnosis, treatment, and research, where images of portions of a human body are formed by means of magnetic resonance techniques.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of enhancing contrast of a magnetic resonance image of a living organism by incorporating a contrast agent into the organism, in an amount effective to enhance contrast of the image, prior to forming the image or during formation of the image, where said contrast agent is a paramagnetic lanthanide hexaazamacrocyclic molecule and has the structural formula ##STR1## where the symbol ##STR2## and the symbol ##STR3## denotes a constituent of the contrast agent chosen from a group consisting of five constituents having the structures ##STR4## and where R represents a hydrogen atom or a substituent group chosen from a class consisting of alkyl, alkoxy, acyl, aroxy, alkylamine, aryl, hydroxy, aryloxy, amine, carboxylate, phosphate, and sufonate groups.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 where said contrast agent is in aqueous solution.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 where said contrast agent is incorporated in said object by injection.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 where said contrast agent is incorporated in said object by passing said contrast agent into a body orifice.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 where said lanthanide is gadolinium.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein said contrast agent has the structural formula: ##STR5##