Altaf Ahmed, Alam Muhammad Sami, Khan Sibgha, Azan Ali, Mubarak Fatima, Knopp Edmond, Siddiqui Khan, Enam Syed Ather
Department of Neurosurgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
Department of Radiology, King Fahad Hospital, Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Front Neuroimaging. 2025 Feb 25;4:1507522. doi: 10.3389/fnimg.2025.1507522. eCollection 2025.
Brain tumors represent a significant burden, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where access to neuroimaging techniques is often limited. Conventional MRI machines are expensive and bulky, posing a significant challenge in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors in LMICs. However, an emerging technology, ultra-low field magnetic resonance imaging (pULF-MRI), has the potential to address this limitation. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of post-contrast enhancement in a pULF-MRI scanner for brain tumor imaging in LMICs. A single case study was conducted, and post-contrast enhancement was successfully achieved, revealing the presence of a tumor which was subsequently confirmed on biopsy. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the feasibility of post-contrast enhancement in a pULF-MRI scanner for brain tumor imaging. This technology has the potential to significantly improve access to neuroimaging in LMICs, leading to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment of brain tumors. These promising results suggest that further studies are warranted to explore the potential of pULF-MRI for large-scale screening and diagnosis of brain tumors in LMICs. This can provide a future roadmap for neuroimaging in LMICs, providing a cost-effective and accessible way to diagnose and treat brain tumors, leading to improved healthcare outcomes with a further prospective clinical trial.
脑肿瘤是一个重大负担,尤其是在低收入和中等收入国家(LMICs),这些国家获得神经成像技术的机会往往有限。传统的MRI机器昂贵且体积庞大,给LMICs脑肿瘤的诊断和治疗带来了重大挑战。然而,一种新兴技术,超低场磁共振成像(pULF-MRI),有潜力解决这一限制。本研究旨在评估pULF-MRI扫描仪在LMICs脑肿瘤成像中进行对比增强后的可行性和有效性。进行了一项单病例研究,成功实现了对比增强,揭示了肿瘤的存在,随后活检证实了这一点。据我们所知,这是第一项证明pULF-MRI扫描仪在脑肿瘤成像中进行对比增强可行性的研究。这项技术有潜力显著改善LMICs获得神经成像的机会,从而实现脑肿瘤的早期诊断和更有效的治疗。这些有前景的结果表明,有必要进一步研究探索pULF-MRI在LMICs大规模筛查和诊断脑肿瘤方面的潜力。这可以为LMICs的神经成像提供未来路线图,提供一种经济高效且可及的诊断和治疗脑肿瘤的方法,通过进一步的前瞻性临床试验改善医疗结果。