Lead author Dr. Jonathan R. Dillman of the University of Michigan Health Systems in Ann Arbor said that over the past few years, the utilization of contrast-enhanced MRI has increased by 65 percent in part to a variety of new applications, such as magnetic resonance angiography and abdominopelvic MR imaging.

The study involved 78,353 gadolinium-containing contrast injections over a five-year period and the researchers found acute allergic-like reactions occurred following 54 injections -- 48 reactions in adults and six in children.

The study found 74 percent of these reactions were mild, 19 percent were moderate and 7 percent were severe.

The study, published in the American Journal of Roentgenology, found the risk of allergic-like reactions is exceedingly low at 0.07 percent and no fatal reaction occurred in more than than 78,000 intravenous administrations.