Has the contrast used in an MRI caused anyone to have kidney damage?

@lifetraveler I looked to see if my Cancer Ctr. does PEM, but guess not. There are few out there. There is a clinical trial going on at Memorial Sloan Kettering: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01864083 . And there is supposedly some use or former trial of PEM at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, but it looks like they mostly use PET/CT scans.
I found the NIH article you mention, but even though it says it can be helpful for those who struggle to use an MRI machine, the "PEM cannot provide the anatomical detail that is provided by MRI", & uses a lot of radiation. So it doesn't look like it's going to be as helpful as we'd hoped. Thanks for the info!

@jardinera25 :

Thank you so much for your further research and update! For some reason I thought this new scanning tool uses low-dose radiation, I must be mistaken, sorry... Just for curiosity, I sent my surgeon a message to inquire about this, because she ordered a Bilateral breast MRI with contrast for me - to be done in December - to make sure there's no recurrence; and she serves as the "architect" of my care team of oncologists. Hopefully she'll reply soon to provide some clear direction for us.

Thanks again for being my comrade!

I was (elected prophylactic bilateral mastectomy) a high risk BC patient and I was presented with biannual (MRI and mammography alternating every 6 months) surveillance as one treatment plan. I chose not to proceed because on a deep dive in medical and biomedical research journals I found that gadolinium (contrast dye used for BC MRI) can be retained by the body; results in diminished kidney function and can result in kidney failure over time; can be retained in bones and joints; and has been found in the brain. I read a research article from 2025 (April or May since time to my initial diagnosis) that presented data accumulated over 13 years from BC patients - this same article evidenced all of the above long term effects from gadolinium contract agents. I was alarmed by the data that in all instances there was a decrease in kidney function (slight to failure) and moreover that the data points to a possible correlation to brain fog, early on-set Alzeheimer's - and with one person in the study developing a brain tumor. I think there were 50 odd women in this long term study. Most everyone reported joint and bone pain too. Apparently I didn't conserve this article because after reading it I said absolutely a no go for me. I will see if I can dig it up - meanwhile I have attached a summary article on gadolinium contrast agents that doesn't contain a lot of jargon. Also, gadolinium contract is known by multiple names - probably due to identify the pharmaceutical company that produced the dye.

I too have done a lot of research on Gadolinium, since I have 2 types of Cancer (breast & Neuroendocrine Tumors) and both Docs want their own MRI scans to see & measure any tumors. As a lay person it is hard to decipher studies, but I do think I've learned a few things. It appears to me persons with Renal disease/kidney issues really should question the use of Gadolineum.
There is not only one type of Gadolinium; they are classified as Macrocyclic and Linear contrast agents. I plan on questioning the technician at my next scan this month to find out what type they are using. "The most stable and least toxic ionic-macrocyclic gadolinium-based contrast agents, such as gadoterate meglumine (Gd-DOTA), are recommended for clinical use, while nonionic linear chelates are the least stable." There is a table on this article that lists 7 types & which are macrocyclic, on Table 1. It's all very hard to understand. Is my joint & bone pain due to the AI's I was taking....or could it be due to a series of MRI's with Gadolinium.
The good news is they are looking for alternatives, like Manganese. If patients keep questioning technicians and doctors about how to keep exposure down to Gadolineum, maybe changes will accelerate.
Oh, here's an easier to understand discussion of which Gadolineum contrasts are less likely to be retained in the body from the FDA. https://www.fda.gov/media/109825/download
I'm in Seattle area, where my Cancer Center, Fred Hutchinson, is located.
Thanks for your info!

@anatomary Thank you for this. After years of good blood work, suddenly my creatine level is high and my doctors, including a nephrologist, are trying to figure it out. This fall for my checkup I insisted on having a breast MRI instead of only a mammogram and ultrasound because MD Anderson suggest this for lobular patients. I don't know what contrast material was used. But I'll take all this back to my doctors.

@marshgirl24 Make sure you look at the article link posted by jardinera25; it has great information about the specific types of contrast dies. I had this one in my files but the system would not allow me to upload it; don't know why. I have not had time to look for the article I mentioned earlier (I teach) and hopefully I will find time before this weekend. Good luck on your journey!