ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-supported chemotherapy on normal red bone marrow MR imaging in breast cancer patients with focal bone metastases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifteen breast cancer patients who were examined before and after chemotherapy with T1-weighted-SE and long echo-time inversion-recovery turbo-spin-echo (long TE IR-TSE) sequences in the thoracolumbar spine and pelvis were retrospectively studied. Nine of them received G-CSF therapy after the administration of each chemotherapy course. Of these 9 patients, the MR follow-ups were performed during G-CSF in 4 patients and after G-CSF therapy in 5 patients. Six patients did not receive G-CSF. Signal intensity (SI) changes in normal bone marrow were evaluated visually in all patients and quantitatively in 13 patients. RESULTS: In all 4 patients investigated during G-CSF therapy a diffuse, homogeneous SI increase on long TE IR-TSE was observed visually and quantitatively in initially normal bone marrow. This change obscured some focal lesions in 2 patients. No such SI change was visible after G-CSF therapy (p = 0.008) or in patients not receiving G-CSF. On T1-weighted images an SI decrease was found both during and after G-CSF therapy, but an increase occurred in patients not receiving G-CSF. CONCLUSION: G-CSF-supported chemotherapy can induce diffuse SI changes in normal red bone marrow on MR imaging. On long TE IR-TSE, the changes are visible during G-CSF treatment and can lead to misinterpretations in the response evaluation of bone metastases to therapy.
Subject(s)
Bone Marrow/pathology , Bone Neoplasms/drug therapy , Bone Neoplasms/secondary , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor/therapeutic use , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Adult , Aged , Drug Therapy, Combination , Humans , Middle Aged , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
A superparamagnetic nanoparticle (NC100150 Injection) was investigated in two different animal models; renal perfusion in pigs and tumour imaging in mice. In the pig model, qualitative first-pass perfusion maps following a bolus injection of NC100150 Injection enabled good visualisation of hypoperfused regions of the renal cortex following partial ligation of the renal artery. High temporal resolution was found to be essential to accurately capture the first passage of the contrast agent through the kidney due to the very rapid blood flow in normal renal cortex. In the tumour model (LS174T cells implanted in nude mice), NC100150 Injection was found to cause a gradual (over 60 min) signal increase on T1-w images in part of the tumours which was attributed to contrast agent leakage from the vascular space to the extravascular space in areas of increased capillary permeability. This observation is consistent with previous reports on the molecular cut-off size for vascular extraction for this tumour cell line. The specific enhancement of tumour tissue suggest potential utility of NC100150 Injection as an angiogenesis marker.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma/diagnosis , Colonic Neoplasms/diagnosis , Iron , Kidney/anatomy & histology , Kidney/blood supply , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Oxides , Renal Artery Obstruction/diagnosis , Animals , Contrast Media , Dextrans , Disease Models, Animal , Ferrosoferric Oxide , Humans , Ischemia/diagnosis , Kidney Cortex/blood supply , Magnetite Nanoparticles , Mice , Mice, Nude , Renal Artery Obstruction/physiopathology , Sensitivity and Specificity , Swine , Transplantation, Heterologous , Tumor Cells, CulturedABSTRACT
A preparation of ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) particles coupled to an RGD peptide (RGD-USPIO) was investigated as an MR contrast agent, targeted to activated platelets, in both ex vivo and in vivo thrombus models. Thrombus visualization ex vivo was compared using RGD-USPIO and a non-targeted UPSIO. The influence of thrombus visualization on thrombus exposure time to RGD-USPIO (ex vivo) and on the spatial resolution of the MR image (ex vivo and in vivo) was assessed. RGD-USPIO resulted in better thrombus visualization than non-targeted USPIO ex vivo, and maximum enhancement was achieved after approximately one hour exposure time of the thrombus to RGD-USPIO. The ability to visualize the clots was highly dependent on the spatial resolution of the image. In vivo, an in-plane resolution of less than 0.2 x 0.2 mm(2) was required for good clot visualization after contrast enhancement. It is concluded that the achievable resolution and sensitivity is a potential limitation to the usefulness of active vascular targeting in MRI.
Subject(s)
Iron , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Oligopeptides , Oxides , Thrombosis/diagnosis , Animals , Contrast Media , Dextrans , Ferrosoferric Oxide , Humans , Magnetite Nanoparticles , Phantoms, Imaging , Sensitivity and Specificity , SwineABSTRACT
Histopathologic analysis of an anterior mediastinal mass of unknown origin is essential for treatment decision. Mediastinoscopy is the most common procedure performed to obtain biopsies, but general anaesthesia and hospitalization are necessary. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether transsternal core biopsies, an easy outpatient biopsy technique, could be an alternative to mediastinoscopy. A biopsy instrument that makes it possible to reach tumours hidden behind bone was used for transsternal CT-guided core biopsies in 21 patients with a newly diagnosed anterior mediastinal mass. No severe side effects were observed. In 19/21 (90%) patients the biopsies were diagnostic. In 2/21 patients additional biopsy techniques had to be used. In these two patients Hodgkin's disease was suspected in the first biopsy procedures. The diagnosis was confirmed by new core biopsies, from other parts of the tumour, not using a transsternal approach (transclavicular and parasternal, respectively). In addition, one mediastinoscopy was performed in a patient who was diagnosed with a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma but where more material was needed for lymphoma subclassification. It is concluded that CT-guided transsternal core biopsy is a clinically valuable method in patients with a newly diagnosed anterior mediastinal mass.
Subject(s)
Biopsy/methods , Lymphoma/diagnosis , Mediastinal Neoplasms/diagnosis , Mediastinoscopy , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Hodgkin Disease/diagnosis , Hodgkin Disease/pathology , Humans , Lymphoma/pathology , Male , Mediastinal Neoplasms/pathology , Mediastinum/pathology , Middle Aged , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To determine the correlation between dose rate and T1 in blood at Gd-enhanced MR angiography (MRA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A test dose of contrast agent was used to calculate the time delay between injection and arrival in the abdominal aorta. The dose rate was expressed as ml.kg b.w.-1.s-1. The correlation between dose rate and T1 was determined by varying the dose rate while keeping the scanning and infusion times constant. The signal intensity in the abdominal aorta was measured during the first pass of Gd and compared with markers of known T1 values. RESULTS: A correlation between dose rate and T1 in blood was obtained. CONCLUSION: A Gd dose rate of 0.01 ml.kg b.w.-1.s-1 gives a T1 in blood of 100 ms. This can be used to calculate the optimal pulse sequence for contrast-enhanced MRA.
