MR imaging contrast agents--what's in a name?

The purpose of this brief review is to reduce the confusion surrounding the nomenclature of MRI contrast agents. There are several different categories of contrast agents for potential use in human diagnosis and several alternative names for each contrast agent, an array of choices that actually changes over time. This review describes the general process by which these various agents are named, presents one general categorization by which these agents can be considered, and provides a concise table to which readers can refer to identify the proper name to use for each of the agents that has thus far been administered to humans.