Substances exhibiting paramagnetic properties are used as contrast agents in MR imaging. They have a small but positive magnetic susceptibility (magnetizability - tends to align along the magnetic field). Typical paramagnetic substances usually possess an unpaired electron and include atoms or ions of transition elements, rare earth elements, some metals, and some molecules including molecular oxygen and free radicals.

See also Paramagnetism.

A type of magnet that utilizes the principles of electromagnetism to generate the magnetic field. Typically large current values and significant cooling of the magnet coils is required. The resistive magnet does not require cryogens, but needs a constant power supply to maintain a homogenous magnetic field, and can be quite expensive to maintain.
Resistive magnets fall into two general categories - iron-core and air-core.
Iron-core electromagnets provide the advantages of a vertically oriented magnetic field, and a limited fringe field with little, if any, missile effects due to the closed iron-flux return path.
Air-core electromagnets exhibit horizontally oriented fields, which have large fringe fields (unless magnetically shielded) and are prone to missile effects. Resistive magnets are typically limited to maximum field strengths of approximately 0.6T.

(SPIO) Relatively new types of MRI contrast agents are superparamagnetic iron oxide-based colloids (median diameter greater than 50nm). These compounds consist of nonstoichiometric microcrystalline magnetite cores, which are coated with dextrans (in ferumoxide) or siloxanes (in ferumoxsil). After injection they accumulate in the reticuloendothelial system (RES) of the liver (Kupffer cells) and the spleen. At low doses circulating iron decreases the T1 time of blood, at higher doses predominates the T2* effect.
SPIO agents are much more effective in MR relaxation than paramagnetic agents. Since hepatic tumors either do not contain RES cells or their activity is reduced, the contrast between liver and lesion is improved. Superparamagnetic iron oxides cause noticeable shorter T2 relaxation times with signal loss in the targeted tissue (e.g., liver and spleen) with all standard pulse sequences. Magnetite, a mixture of FeO and Fe2O3, is one of the used iron oxides. FeO can be replaced by Fe3O4.
Use of these colloids as tissue specific contrast agents is now a well-established area of pharmaceutical development. Feridex®, Endorem™, GastroMARK®, Lumirem®, Sinerem®, Resovist® and more patents pending tell us that the last word in this area is not said.
Some remarkable points using SPIO:

See also Superparamagnetism, Superparamagnetic Contrast Agents and Classifications, Characteristics, etc..