title: Magnetic resonance imaging of inflammatory bowel disease: evaluation in a rabbit model.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany. Friedrich.Knollmann@charite.de
authors.forename: Friedrich D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Knollmann
authors.forename: Thore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bleckmann
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Böck
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mäurer
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Radtke
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Felix
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; C064925:gadodiamide; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA