The purpose of this study was to provide preliminary experimental data on the utility of a new oral contrast media for abdominal MRI contrast imaging examination. In the experimental study, the following oral contrast
media were used: Solotop^® (Taejoon Pharmacal, Seoul, Korea), diatrizoate meglumine (Gastrografin^®, Schering, Berlin, Germany), 50 % blueberry juice, 100 % orange juice, 3.5 % blueberry juice. The GE Signa
Excite HD 1.5 T MR system and an 8-channel CTL (cervical thoracic lumbar) coil were used to obtain. T1- and T2-weighted images, and the acquired SNR and CNR values of the contrast media were analyzed by multi-way ANOVA. Fruit juice was lower than water in T2-weighted images and showed relatively higher contrast than did chemical contrast media. On the other hand, T1-weighted images showed a relatively low-contrast effect
due to the moisture contained in the fruit juice. For the T1-weighted images, Gastrografin^® and Solotop^® had higher CNR and SNR than did the fruit juice contrast media. There was a statistically significant difference
between water and oral contrast media (p < .05). Fruit juice having lower absolute water content than water showed lower T2 signal value than did water. Fruit juice having a viscosity higher than that of water had the
advantage of being able to get distributed evenly in a desired organ. With further advanced studies based on these experimental results, an alternative oral contrast media could be developed, and abdominal MRI could be
expected to be actively applied in clinical practice.