MRI Safety of Iron Oxide–Containing Pigments in Keratopigmentation

MRI Safety of Iron Oxide–Containing Pigments in Keratopigmentation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article MRI Safety of Iron Oxide–Containing Pigments in Keratopigmentation Alexander Movshovich, Donald J. D’Amico, Rigoberto Vazquez, Douglas Ballon, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9227047/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Purpose To evaluate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) safety of iron oxide–containing pigments previously used in femtosecond laser–assisted keratopigmentation (KTP). Methods Twelve pigment formulations were initially screened using MRI to identify the most magnetically reactive sample. Standardized pigment amounts equivalent to clinical use were measured with a precision microbalance. Temperature changes were monitored with fiber optic thermometry in porcine corneas with and without pigment following femtosecond laser tunnel creation during a standard MRI protocol. Pigment motility was assessed by suspending impregnated filter paper in MRI-safe glass jars and observing potential movement within the bore. MRI sequences were analyzed for image distortion. Results No measurable temperature increase was observed in pigment-containing or control porcine corneas during MRI exposure. No pigment movement was detected; the impregnated filter paper remained stable without displacement, deflection, or torque. MRI revealed a localized signal at the pigment site, causing mild distortion limited to the corneal region, with no interference in adjacent or posterior ocular structures. Conclusions Iron oxide–containing pigments (Biotic Phocea, France) used in keratopigmentation did not cause heating, motility, or clinically significant imaging artifacts during MRI. Although localized corneal signal distortion was noted, it did not hinder the visualization of deeper eye tissues. These findings support the safety of MRI in patients with prior KTP using iron oxide pigments, including those who had initial pigments implanted. Ophthalmology Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging MRI pigment keratopigmentation KTP safety Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9227047","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":612257408,"identity":"e3017c53-800e-4192-828a-e8862f0bff09","order_by":0,"name":"Alexander Movshovich","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Weill Cornell Medicine","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alexander","middleName":"","lastName":"Movshovich","suffix":""},{"id":612257409,"identity":"5ffea0c7-b44e-4eff-9eed-cec990177d55","order_by":1,"name":"Donald J. 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Standardized pigment amounts equivalent to clinical use were measured with a precision microbalance. Temperature changes were monitored with fiber optic thermometry in porcine corneas with and without pigment following femtosecond laser tunnel creation during a standard MRI protocol. Pigment motility was assessed by suspending impregnated filter paper in MRI-safe glass jars and observing potential movement within the bore. MRI sequences were analyzed for image distortion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResults\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo measurable temperature increase was observed in pigment-containing or control porcine corneas during MRI exposure. No pigment movement was detected; the impregnated filter paper remained stable without displacement, deflection, or torque. MRI revealed a localized signal at the pigment site, causing mild distortion limited to the corneal region, with no interference in adjacent or posterior ocular structures.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConclusions\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIron oxide–containing pigments (Biotic Phocea, France) used in keratopigmentation did not cause heating, motility, or clinically significant imaging artifacts during MRI. Although localized corneal signal distortion was noted, it did not hinder the visualization of deeper eye tissues. These findings support the safety of MRI in patients with prior KTP using iron oxide pigments, including those who had initial pigments implanted.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"MRI Safety of Iron Oxide–Containing Pigments in Keratopigmentation","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-27 03:11:51","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9227047/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"07bbacc3-a7cd-4820-a42b-64d456cd8fb4","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 27th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":65149362,"name":"Ophthalmology"},{"id":65149363,"name":"Nuclear Medicine \u0026 Medical Imaging"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-27T03:11:51+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-27 03:11:51","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9227047","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9227047","identity":"rs-9227047","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}