Zinc Transmetallation and Gadolinium Retention after MR Imaging: Case Report

A patient with chronic zinc poisoning from denture cream retained gadolinium after a magnetic resonance imaging procedure, likely due to transmetallation. During chelation therapy, high levels of gadolinium in excreted urine (up to 89 μg/d, 29 days after gadolinium administration) were present, indicating that gadolinium had been retained. Almost 2½ years after gadolinium exposure, a 24-hour urine collection indicated that the gadolinium level remained in the elevated range (0.6 μg/d). This single case report suggests that patients with elevated zinc exposure may be at increased risk of gadolinium retention.