Magnetic resonance imaging of inflammatory bowel disease: evaluation in a rabbit model.
OBJECTIVE
To correlate intestinal contrast enhancement and wall thickening with the degree of inflammation in an experimental model of inflammatory bowel disease.


METHODS
Inflammatory bowel disease was elicited in 39 New Zealand White rabbits by rectal instillation of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBA). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to determine bowel wall thickness and intestinal contrast enhancement after the administration of 0.1 mmol/kg of gadodiamide intravenously. MR measurements were compared with the complete histopathologic analysis.


RESULTS
MR measurements of bowel wall thickness correlated well with histopathologic measurements in vitro (r = 0.85, P < 0.0001) and with histopathologic evidence of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (P < 0.02). Chronic inflammation was characterized by increased intestinal contrast enhancement (137 +/- 25%) when compared to normal bowel (86 +/- 7%, P = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
Contrast-enhanced MRI accurately reflects inflammatory bowel disease in the rabbit model.
Knollmann
Friedrich D
FD
Department of Radiology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany. Friedrich.Knollmann@charite.de
Dietrich
Thore
T
Bleckmann
Tim
T
Böck
Johannes
J
Mäurer
Jürgen
J
Radtke
Cornelia
C
Felix
Roland
R
D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D023421:Models, Animal; D011817:Rabbits
D003287:Contrast Media; C064925:gadodiamide; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA