Measurement of vascular volume in experimental rat tumors by 19F magnetic resonance imaging.
OBJECTIVE
In-vivo assessment of tumor vascular volume may provide useful information for treatment planning or the assessment of treatment effectiveness. The goals of our study were to measure percent vascular volume in two experimental tumor sublines using 19F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to assess changes in tumor blood volume with growth.


METHODS
An emulsion of perfluorotributylamine (FTBA) was used as a vascular contrast agent for 19F MRI: The amount of emulsion in the tumor vasculature was measured by 19F MRI and used to calculate percent vascular volume. A separate ex-vivo study of vascular volume was conducted using the dye Hoechst 33342. A total of five rats were studied by MRI and 14 by the ex-vivo method.


RESULTS
The ranges of percent vascular volume values measured in the imaging and Hoechst dye studies were 2% to 9% and 1.25 to 7%, respectively. A trend toward decreasing percent vascular volume with increasing tumor volume was evident in one tumor subline.


CONCLUSIONS
The quantitative 19F MRI technique was effective for measuring percent vascular volume and changes in vascular volume with growth.
Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.
K L
KL
Meyer
P M
PM
Joseph
B
B
Mukherji
V A
VA
Livolsi
R
R
Lin
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000818:Animals; D001562:Benzimidazoles; D001802:Blood Substitutes; D002138:Calibration; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005461:Fluorine; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008961:Models, Structural; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D051381:Rats; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D001562:Benzimidazoles; D001802:Blood Substitutes; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D005461:Fluorine; C008807:perfluorotributylamine; C017807:bisbenzimide ethoxide trihydrochloride