Correction to: MRI assessment of the thigh musculature in dermatomyositis and healthy subjects using diffusion tensor imaging, intravoxel incoherent motion and dynamic DTI.

The original version of this article, published on 04 June 2018, unfortunately contained a mistake.

MRI assessment of the thigh musculature in dermatomyositis and healthy subjects using diffusion tensor imaging, intravoxel incoherent motion and dynamic DTI.

INTRODUCTION: Dermatomyositis (DM) is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy involving severe debilitation in need of diagnostics. We evaluated the proximal lower extremity musculature with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and dynamic DTI in DM patients and controls and compared with standard clinical workup. METHODS: In this IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant study with written informed consent, anatomical, Dixon fat/water and diffusion imaging were collected in bilateral thigh MRI of 22 controls and 27 DM patients in a 3T scanner. Compartments were scored on T1/T2 scales. Single voxel dynamic DTI metrics in quadriceps before and after 3-min leg exercise were measured. Spearman rank correlation and mixed model analysis of variance/covariance (ANOVA/ANCOVA) were used to correlate with T1 and T2 scores and to compare patients with controls. RESULTS: DM patients showed significantly lower pseudo-diffusion and volume in quadriceps than controls. All subjects showed significant correlation between T1 score and signal-weighted fat fraction; tissue diffusion and pseudo-diffusion varied significantly with T1 and T2 score in patients. Radial and mean diffusion exercise response in patients was significantly higher than controls. CONCLUSION: Static and dynamic diffusion imaging metrics show correlation with conventional imaging scores, reveal spatial heterogeneity, and provide means to differentiate dermatomyositis patients from controls. KEY POINTS: • Diffusion imaging shows regional differences between thigh muscles of dermatomyositis patients and controls. • Signal-weighted fat fraction and diffusion metrics correlate with T1/T2 scores of disease severity. • Dermatomyositis patients show significantly higher radial diffusion exercise response than controls.

Spatially resolved kinetics of skeletal muscle exercise response and recovery with multiple echo diffusion tensor imaging (MEDITI): a feasibility study.

OBJECTIVES: We describe measurement of skeletal muscle kinetics with multiple echo diffusion tensor imaging (MEDITI). This approach allows characterization of the microstructural dynamics in healthy and pathologic muscle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a Siemens 3-T Skyra scanner, MEDITI was used to collect dynamic DTI with a combination of rapid diffusion encoding, radial imaging, and compressed sensing reconstruction in a multi-compartment agarose gel rotation phantom and within in vivo calf muscle. An MR-compatible ergometer (Ergospect Trispect) was employed to enable in-scanner plantar flexion exercise. In a HIPAA-compliant study with written informed consent, post-exercise recovery of DTI metrics was quantified in eight volunteers. Exercise response of DTI metrics was compared with that of T2-weighted imaging and characterized by a gamma variate model. RESULTS: Phantom results show quantification of diffusivities in each compartment over its full dynamic rotation. In vivo calf imaging results indicate larger radial than axial exercise response and recovery in the plantar flexion-challenged gastrocnemius medialis (fractional response: nT2w = 0.385 ± 0.244, nMD = 0.163 ± 0.130, nλ1 = 0.110 ± 0.093, nλrad = 0.303 ± 0.185). Diffusion and T2-weighted response magnitudes were correlated (e.g., r = 0.792, p = 0.019 for nMD vs. nT2w). CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated the feasibility of MEDITI for capturing spatially resolved diffusion tensor data in dynamic systems including post-exercise skeletal muscle recovery following in-scanner plantar flexion.

19F MRI oximetry: simulation of perfluorocarbon distribution impact.

In (19)F MRI oximetry, a method used to image tumour hypoxia, perfluorocarbons serve as oxygenation markers. The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of perfluorocarbon distribution and concentration in (19)F MRI oximetry through a computer simulation. The simulation studies the correspondence between (19)F measured (pO(FNMR)(2)) and actual tissue oxygen tension (pO(2)) for several tissue perfluorocarbon distributions. For this, a Krogh tissue model is implemented which incorporates the presence of perfluorocarbons in blood and tissue. That is, in tissue the perfluorocarbons are distributed homogeneously according to Gaussian diffusion profiles, or the perfluorocarbons are concentrated in the capillary wall. Using these distributions, the oxygen tension in the simulation volume is calculated. The simulated mean oxygen tension is then compared with pO(FNMR)(2), the (19)F MRI-based measure of pO(2) and with pO(0)(2), pO(2) in the absence of perfluorocarbons. The agreement between pO(FNMR)(2) and actual pO(2) is influenced by vascular density and perfluorocarbon distribution. The presence of perfluorocarbons generally gives rise to a pO(2) increase in tissue. This effect is enhanced when perfluorocarbons are also present in blood. Only the homogeneous perfluorocarbon distribution in tissue with no perfluorocarbons in blood guarantees small deviations of pO(FNMR)(2) from pO(2). Hence, perfluorocarbon distribution in tissue and blood has a serious impact on the reliability of (19)F MRI-based measures of oxygen tension. In addition, the presence of perfluorocarbons influences the actual oxygen tension. This finding may be of great importance for further development of (19)F MRI oximetry.

Radio-physical properties of micelle leucodye 3D integrating gel dosimeters.

Recently, novel radiochromic leucodye micelle hydrogel dosimeters were introduced in the literature. In these studies, gel measured electron depth dose profiles were compared with ion chamber depth dose data, from which it was concluded that leucocrystal violet-type dosimeters were independent of dose rate. Similar conclusions were drawn for leucomalachite green-type dosimeters, only after pre-irradiating the samples to a homogeneous radiation dose. However, in our extensive study of the radio-physical properties of leucocrystal violet- and leucomalachite green-type dosimeters, a significant dose rate dependence was found. For a dose rate variation between 50 and 400 cGy min(-1), a maximum difference of 75% was found in optical dose sensitivity for the leucomalachite green-type dosimeter. Furthermore, the measured optical dose sensitivity of the leucomalachite green-type dosimeter was four times lower than the value previously reported in the literature. For the leucocrystal violet-type dosimeter, a maximum difference in optical dose sensitivity of 55% was found between 50 and 400 cGy min(-1). A modified composition of the leucomalachite green-type dosimeter is proposed. This dosimeter is composed of gelatin, sodium dodecyl sulfate, chloroform, trichloroacetic acid and leucomalachite green. The optical dose sensitivity amounted to 4.375 × 10(-5) cm(-1) cGy(-1) (dose rate 400 cGy min(-1)). No energy dependence for photon energies between 6 and 18 MV was found. No temperature dependence during readout was found notwithstanding a temperature dependence during irradiation of 1.90 cGy °C(-1) increase on a total dose of 100 cGy. The novel gel dosimeter formulation exhibits an improved spatial stability (2.45 × 10(-7) cm(2) s(-1) (= 0.088 mm(2) h(-1))) and good water/soft tissue equivalence. Nevertheless, the novel formulation was also found to have a significant, albeit reduced, dose rate dependence, as a maximum difference of 33% was found in optical dose sensitivity when the dose rate varied between 50 and 400 cGy min(-1). By pre-irradiating the novel leucomalachite green-type dosimeter to 500 cGy, the apparent difference in dose response between 200 and 400 cGy min(-1) was eliminated, similar to earlier findings. However, a dose response difference of 38% between 50 and 200 cGy min(-1) was still measured. On the basis of these experimental results it is concluded that the leucodye micelle gel dosimeter is not yet optimal for dose verifications of high precision radiation therapy treatments. This study, however, indicates that the dose rate dependence has a potential for improvement. Future research is necessary to further minimize the dose rate dependence through extensive chemical analysis and optimization of the gel formulation. Some insights into the physicochemical mechanisms were obtained and are discussed in this paper.

Microstructural analysis of foam by use of NMR R2 dispersion.

The spin-spin relaxation rate R2 (=1/T2) in hydrogel foams measured by use of a multiple spin echo sequence is found to be dependent on the echo time spacing. This property, referred to as R2-dispersion, originates to a large extent from molecular self-diffusion of water within internal field gradients that result from magnetic susceptibility differences between the gel and air phase. Another contribution to the R2 relaxation rate is surface relaxation. Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the relation between the foam microstructure (the mean air bubble radius and standard deviation of the air bubble radius) and foam composition properties (such as magnetic susceptibilities, diffusion coefficient and surface relaxivity) at one hand and the R2-dispersion at the other hand. The simulated R2-dispersions of gel foam are in agreement with the measured R2-dispersions. By correlating the R2-dispersion parameters and simulated microstructure properties a semi-empirical relationship is obtained that enables the mean air bubble size to be derived from measured R2-dispersion curves. The R2-derived mean air bubble size of a hydrogel foam is in agreement with the bubble size measured with X-ray micro-CT. This illustrates the feasibility of using 1H R2-dispersion measurements to determine the size of air bubbles in hydrogel foams and of alveoli in lung tissue.