Relaxation Enhancement Sequence Research Articles

19Fluorine-MRI Based Longitudinal Immuno-Microenvironment-Monitoring for Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis. Targeting Kirsten Rat Sarcoma (KRAS) mutation and its related pathways may enhance immunotherapy efficacy. While in vivo monitoring of therapeutic response and immune cell migration remains challenging, Fluorine-19 MRI (19F MRI) may allow noninvasive longitudinal imaging of immune cells. Evaluating the potential of 19F MRI for monitoring changes in the tumor immune microenvironment, in response to combined SHP2/MEK inhibition. Pre-clinical animal study. Murine genetically engineered pancreatic cancer model (N = 20, both sexes). 9.4-T, two-dimensional multi-slice Rapid Acquisition with Relaxation Enhancement sequence. Intravenous injection of 19F-perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoparticles. Upon tumor detection by conventional 1H MRI screening, 19F MRI was performed in mice 24 hours after PFC nanoparticle administration. Animals were randomly assigned to four treatment groups: allosteric Src-homology-2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2) inhibitor SHP099, the mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2) inhibitor Trametinib, the combination of both, or a vehicle control (4 to 6 mice each group), administered every other day per oral gavage. 1H and 19F MRI was repeated 7 days and 14 days later. Pancreatic immune cell infiltrates were analyzed by flow cytometry and multiplex immunohistofluorescence (mIHF) upon sacrifice. Independent t-tests and one-way analysis of variance. 19F MRI revealed continuous decrease of PFC-signals in tumors from vehicle controls (100%, 80%, and 74% on days 0, 7, and 14, respectively), contrasting with stable or increasing signals under KRAS-pathway-directed treatment. MEK inhibition showed 100%, 152%, and 84% and dual SHP2/MEK1/2 inhibition demonstrated signals of 100%, 134%, and 100% on days 0, 7, 14, respectively. mIHF analyses indicated CD11b+ macrophages/monocytes as primary contributors to the observed 19F MRI signal differences. 19F MRI might provide non-invasive longitudinal estimates for abundance and spatial distribution of CD11b+ macrophages/monocytes in pancreatic cancer. 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Glutamate Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer Imaging and Functional Alterations of Hippocampus in Rat Depression Model: A Pilot Study.

Adjusting abnormal glutamate neurotransmission is a crucial mechanism in the treatment of depression. However, few non-invasive techniques could effectively detect changes in glutamate neurotransmitters, and no consensus exists on whether glutamate could affect resting-state function changes in depression. To study the changes in glutamate chemical exchange saturation transfer (GluCEST) value in the hippocampus of rat model exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and to explore the effect of this change on the activity of hippocampal glutamatergic neurons. Prospective animal study. Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-300 g). 7.0 T scanner. Fat rapid acquisition relaxation enhancement sequence for GluCEST, and echo planner imaging sequence for resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs_fMRI). Rats were divided into two groups: CUMS group (N=10) and control group (CTRL, N=10). The magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry analysis was used to quantify the GluCEST data, and evaluate the rs_fMRI data through the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis. A t-test was used to compare the difference in GluCEST or rs_fMRI between CUMS and CTRL groups. Spearman's correlation was applied to explore the correlation between GluCEST values and abnormal fMRI values in hippocampus. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. The GluCEST value in the left hippocampus has changed significantly (3.3 ± 0.3 [CUMS] vs. 3.9 ± 0.4 [CTRL], P < 0.05). In addition, the GluCEST value was significantly positively correlated with the ALFF values (r=0.5, P < 0. 05, df=7) and negatively correlated with the ReHo values (r=-0.6, P < 0.05, df=7). GluCEST technique has the feasibility of mapping glutamate changes in rat depression. Glutamate neurotransmitters are important factors affecting the abnormal function of neural activity. 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Middle and Inner Ear After Intratympanic Injection of a Gadolinium-Containing Gel

To investigate the distribution and elimination of a gadolinium containing high viscosity formulation of sodium hyaluronan (HYA gel) after injection to the middle ear. The T1 contrast agent gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-bis methylamine (Gd-DTPA-BMA) was added to HYA gel and delivered to the middle ear of 13 albino guinea pigs by 3 different ways of injection. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed with a 4.7 T MRI system using a T1-weighted 3-dimentional rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement sequence. An injection technique where the Gd-DTPA-BMA-containing HYA gel was delivered to the middle ear through a percutaneous injection through the auditory bulla after a small incision had been made in the tympanic membrane gave the best filling of the middle ear, covering the cochlea and the region of the round window niche for 24 hours in a majority of the ears studied. Ears injected without an incision in the tympanic membrane showed an immediate uptake of Gd-DTPA-BMA in the inner ear as a sign of rupture of the round window membrane. A percutaneous injection of a HYA gel into the tympanic bulla is distributed in a predictable way and gives a good filling of the middle ear cavity. The HYA gel remains in close vicinity to the RWM for more than 24 hours. Injection should be performed after an incision of the tympanic membrane has been made to prevent rupture of the round window membrane.

Clinical applications of high-resolution ocular magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using fast sequences with subjects staring at a target can provide motion-free ocular images, and small receiver surface coils make it possible to produce ocular images with high spatial resolution. MRI using half-Fourier single-shot rapid acquisition with a relaxation enhancement sequence as a fast T2-weighted imaging yields useful images for the morphologic diagnosis of ocular diseases, and MRI using a fast spoiled gradient-recalled-echo sequence as a T1-weighted imaging yields additional information by the administration of gadolinium-based contrast material for assessing the vascularity of intraocular tumors. These ocular imaging techniques are useful for the evaluation of patients with angle closure glaucoma, congenital abnormality of ocular globes, intraocular tumors and several types of detachments, as well as patients after ocular surgery. In this pictorial essay, we demonstrate the clinical applications of fast high-resolution ocular MRI with fixation of the subjects' visual foci.

Gadolinium Uptake in the Rat Inner Ear Perilymph Evaluated With 4.7 T MRI

To investigate the inner ear uptake of the contrast agent gadolinium administered intratympanically through transtympanic injection or using a gelatin sponge placed on the round window. The T1 contrast agent Gadolinium-tetra-azacyclo-dodecane-tetra-acetic acid (Gd-DOTA) was administrated to the middle ear cavities of 12 male Wistar rats by a transtympanic injection technique (TTI group; 40 microl), gelatin sponge diffusion (GelD40 group; 40 microl), or gelatin sponge diffusion (GelD8 group; 8 microl). Magnetic resonance imaging was performed with a 4.7-T scanner using a T1-weighted 2-dimensional rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement sequence and a high-resolution T1-weighted 3-dimensional rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement sequence. The uptake of Gd-DOTA into the perilymph was more pronounced at 3 than at 1 hour after intratympanic administration for all methods studied. Transtympanic injection and GelD40 induced similar uptake of Gd-DOTA in the lower turns of the rat cochlea. Transtympanic injection induced less efficient Gd-DOTA uptake in the apex than GelD40. GelD8 was less efficient at Gd-DOTA uptake than either TTI or GelD40. Both TTI and GelD40 are able to efficiently deliver substances to inner ear destinations. Considering its simplicity, TTI is more practical for use in the clinic for the administration of substances to the inner ear, although it provided less efficient uptake in the apex than GelD40.

Development of normal fetal brain by MRI with a half-Fourier rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement sequence

Objective To evaluate normal maturation of the fetal brain with half-Fourier rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement(RARE) MRI.Methods The normal brains of 25 fetuses of 12-38 weeks gestational age were examined in utero with half-Fourier RARE imaging.Gyrus maturation,gray and white matter differentiation,ventricle-to-brain diameter ratio,and subarachnoid space size were evaluated with respect to gestational age.Results At 12-23 weeks,the brain had a smooth surface,and two or three layers were differentiated in the cerebral cortex.At 24-26 weeks,only a few shallow grooves were seen in the central sulcus,and three layers,including the immature cortex,intermediate zone,and germinal matrix,were differentiated in all fetuses.At 27-29 weeks,sulcus formation was observed in various regions of the brain parenchyma,and the germinal matrix became invisible.Sulcation was seen in the whole cerebral cortex from 30 weeks on.However,the cortex did not undergo infolding,and opercular formation was not seen before 33 weeks.At 23 weeks and earlier,the cerebral ventricles were large;thereafter,they gradually became smaller.The subarachnoid space overlying the cortical convexities was slightly dilated at all gestational ages,most markedly at 21-26 weeks.Conclusion Changes in brain maturation proceed through stages in an orderly and predictable fashion and can be evaluated reliably with half-Fourier RARE MRI.

Asymptomatic nonspecific serum hyperamylasemia and hyperlipasemia: spectrum of MRCP findings and clinical implications.

We assessed the magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatographic (MRCP) findings in patients with asymptomatic, mild elevations of serum amylase and lipase levels to determine whether there might be a pathoanatomic cause for these laboratory abnormalities. MRCP was performed in 633 consecutive patients. Of these, 54 (8.5%) images were obtained in patients with asymptomatic serum hyperamylasemia and hyperlipasemia. MRCP was performed on a 1.0-T MR system; breath-hold gradient-recall, half-Fourier acquisition, and rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement sequences were obtained. Findings were verified by follow-up, biopsy, or surgery. One-sided, large-sample z tests were used to compare the incidence of abnormalities between the study and control groups (579 patients). The pancreas appeared abnormal on MRCP in 31 patients (57%), including the pancreas divisum in 10 patients (18.5%). Other findings included morphologic changes compatible with chronic pancreatitis in nine patients (16.6%) and a healed pancreatic laceration, juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum, papillary sclerosis, intraductal pancreatic lithiasis, and hemochromatosis in one patient each (1.9%). Small cystic lesions (< 1 cm) within the pancreas were seen in 15 patients (27.8%). In eight patients, these were associated with other abnormalities (pancreas divisum in three patients, chronic pancreatitis in four, and pancreatic laceration in one). No malignancy was diagnosed. The incidences of normal examination (p = 0.01), pancreas divisum (p < 0.005), and a small cystic lesion (p = 0.01) as solitary findings in this subgroup of patients were significantly higher when compared with the remainder of the studied population. Investigation of asymptomatic patients with nonspecific hyperamylasemia and hyperlipasemia by means of MRCP yielded pancreatic findings in more than 50% of these patients. Pancreas divisum was found more often than expected in the general population.

The use of ECG and respiratory triggering to improve the sensitivity of oxygen-enhanced proton MRI of lung ventilation.

Changes in lung signal between normal breathing and breathing pure oxygen is the basis for oxygen-enhanced ventilation MRI. An optimal technique guarantees a significant response to pure oxygen in well-ventilated lung tissue. To improve the sensitivity, we investigated the effect of ECG and respiratory triggering. Centric reordered single-shot rapid acquisition relaxation enhancement sequences (TE 4.2 ms, echo spacing 4.2 ms, bandwidth 650 Hz/pixel), with an inversion recovery preparation pulse (TI 700 ms), were used. Series of 20 measurements were performed with and without ECG and respiratory triggering in five young volunteers. Subsequently, series of 100 images were acquired during breathing normal air and pure oxygen (as "stimulus"). Ventilation maps showed by means of the z-score how far the response deviates from the signal intensities during the normal air condition. The standard deviation of the lung signal intensities was lowest for the cardiac-triggered series. In the ventilation maps, on the other hand, signal changes were statistically more significant in the respiratory than in the cardiac-triggered series. The average z-scores in the right (left) cranial part of the lung were 12.4 (13.0) and 9.2 (9.7) for respiratory and ECG-triggered acquisitions. We propose to use respiratory triggering as a means to improve the sensitivity of MR ventilation studies.

Normal fetal brain development: MR imaging with a half-Fourier rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement sequence.

To analyze normal maturation of the fetal brain with half-Fourier rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The normal brains of 25 fetuses of 12-38 weeks gestational age were examined in utero with half-Fourier RARE imaging. Gyrus maturation, gray and white matter differentiation, ventricle-to-brain diameter ratio, and subarachnoid space size were evaluated with respect to gestational age. At 12-23 weeks, the brain had a smooth surface, and two or three layers were differentiated in the cerebral cortex. At 24-26 weeks, only a few shallow grooves were seen in the central sulcus, and three layers, including the immature cortex, intermediate zone, and germinal matrix, were differentiated in all fetuses. At 27-29 weeks, sulcus formation was observed in various regions of the brain parenchyma, and the germinal matrix became invisible. Sulcation was seen in the whole cerebral cortex from 30 weeks on. However, the cortex did not undergo infolding, and opercular formation was not seen before 33 weeks. At 23 weeks and earlier, the cerebral ventricles were large; thereafter, they gradually became smaller. The subarachnoid space overlying the cortical convexities was slightly dilated at all gestational ages, most markedly at 21-26 weeks. Changes in brain maturation proceed through stages in an orderly and predictable fashion and can be evaluated reliably with half-Fourier RARE MR imaging.