Chen Gang, Jespersen Sune Nørhøj, Pedersen Michael, Pang Qi, Horsman Michael R, Stødkilde-Jørgensen Hans
MR Research Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, DK8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
Magn Reson Imaging. 2005 Jun;23(5):685-9. doi: 10.1016/j.mri.2005.02.015.
MRI measurements of water diffusion and blood perfusion are increasingly used for the evaluation of organ functionality and tissue viability (e.g., in tumors). While diffusion-weighted imaging is performed without contrast agents, measurement of blood perfusion is normally performed based on the administration of paramagnetic substances such as gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA). Simultaneous measurements of these two parameters are often preferred. However, it may be argued that Gd-DTPA causes constriction of small blood vessels or alters hemodynamic parameters such as blood viscosity, thereby corrupting subsequent measurements of the apparent diffusion constant (ADC). The objective of the current study was to investigate the possible changes in the ADC in tumors following intravenous administration of 0.2 and 0.4 mmol/kg of Gd-DTPA in mice. The study was conducted with C3H mouse mammary carcinomas inoculated in the right foot of the animal subjects. The results were compared with findings in a sham group, demonstrating that Gd-DTPA had no significant impact on the ADC as measured in a 7-T animal system.
