Three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging of lung and liver tumors in mice by use of transversal multislice magnetic resonance images.
OBJECTIVE
To diagnose lung and liver tumors experimentally induced in mice in three-dimensional magnetic resonance (MR) images constructed by superimposing transversal multislice MR images of thoracic and abdominal regions taken under a high magnetic field of 7.05 tesla (T).


METHODS
Lung and liver tumors were induced by administration of urethane to A/J mice and implantation of transplantable colon-26 cells into BALB/c mice, respectively. Two-dimensional (2-D) multislice MR images from the thoracic to abdominal regions were taken under the proton density-weighted conditions. Each organ in the 2-D MR images was pseudocolored, and a three-dimensional (3-D) image was constructed by superimposing them on a UNIX computer, using volume-rendering software.


RESULTS
In the normal mouse, each organ in the thoracic and abdominal regions was three-dimensionally imaged and was clearly distinguished from the others. In mice with tumors in the lung or liver, the pathologic changes in the tissue could be visualized in 3-D images.


CONCLUSIONS
The MR images three-dimensionally constructed by use of a method combining MR imaging under a high magnetic field of 7.05 T and a computer technique using volume-rendering software was useful for diagnosis of lung and liver tumors experimentally induced in mice.
Asanuma
T
T
Laboratory of Radiation Biology, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
Ohkura
K
K
Yamamoto
T
T
Kon
Y
Y
Shimokawa
S
S
Kuwabara
M
M
D000005:Abdomen / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000818:Animals; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000662:veterinary*; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008805:Mice, Inbred A; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D012984:Software; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013909:Thorax / Q000033:anatomy & histology