title: Noninvasive measurement of liver regeneration with positron emission tomography and [2-11C]thymidine.
abstract: The feasibility of liver regeneration determination with [2-11C]thymidine and positron emission tomography was investigated in partially hepatectomized rats. Serial tomographic scans were performed over a 120-minute period after injection of [2-11C]thymidine together with tritium-labeled thymidine. Within 10 minutes after injection, positron emission tomography scans showed a twofold higher hepatic uptake in regenerating than in nonregenerating livers. Time-activity curves over the liver area indicated that the maximal uptake was followed by a faster decrease of 11C radioactivity in controls than in regenerating animals, so that total 11C activity remaining in the liver at 120 minutes accounted for 68% of maximum in regenerating and only 38% in controls. Tissue distribution studies performed at 120 minutes showed that total 11C radioactivity, expressed in percent injected dose per gram, was six times higher in regenerating livers than in controls (0.62% +/- 0.07% in regenerating livers and 0.10% +/- 0.03% in nonregenerating livers; P less than 0.001) and correlated with 3H radioactivity measured in the nuclear fraction (r = 0.92; P less than 0.001). When the hepatic uptake was expressed in percent of dose per organ, the difference between both groups increased (2.31% +/- 0.23% in regenerating livers and 0.29% +/- 0.02% in nonregenerating livers; P less than 0.001) because of higher weight of regenerating livers than of nonregenerating livers (3.83 +/- 0.11 g in regenerating livers and 2.96 +/- 0.16 g in nonregenerating livers; P less than 0.001). In other organs examined, no difference in 11C radioactivity was found between the two groups of rats. These results indicated the potential usefulness of [2-11C]thymidine and positron emission tomography for noninvasive measurement of liver regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, University of Louvain Medical School, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vander Borght
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lambotte
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pauwels
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Labar
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beckers
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dive
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013936:Thymidine; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D014316:Tritium; D013936:Thymidine