Measurements of extracellular volume fraction and capillary permeability in tissues using dynamic spin-lattice relaxometry: studies in rabbit muscles.
Dynamic MR longitudinal R(1) relaxometry after administration of a gadolinium contrast bolus (Gd-DTPA) has been used for in vivo measurements of the extracellular volume fraction (v) and the capillary permeability (k min(-1)) in rabbit muscles to distinguish between red slow- and white fast-twitch muscle fiber types. For this purpose a protocol imaging sequence has been used which allows fast R(1) measurements during the contrast agent uptake. Physiological tissue parameters, k and v, were obtained by computing procedures assuming a simplified monoexponential plasma model. These were shown to be about twice as large in the slow-twitch semimembranosous proprius muscle (SP), containing 100% oxidative type-I fiber, that in the fast-twitch rectus femorus muscle (RF), containing only 6% type-I fiber type. The capillary permeability has been found to be 0.25 +/- 0.02 min(-1) for the (SP) and 0.10 +/- 0.01 min(-1) for the (RF). Similarly, the extracellular volume fractions were 0.189 +/- 0.015 and 0.082 +/- 0.006 respectively, in close agreement with literature data and experimental results obtained by invasive radionuclide measurements. For the pool of the 10 studied animals, no significant variation among animals was observed in the extracellular volume fraction and the capillary permeability for the different muscle fiber types. The dynamic relaxometry method used is easy to implement on conventional MR imagers and has potential applications in muscle diseases. The method has also potential applications for tissue characterization based on extracellular volume and capillary permeability quantification. In particular, the method can be used for the evaluation of tumors and their responses to therapies.
Vincensini
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Equipe de Chimie Bioinorganique Médicale, Imagerie thérapeutique et diagnostique, ICMT-CNRS FR 1744, Université Paul Sabatier, 118, route de Narbonne, 31 062 Toulouse Cedex, France. vincensi@cict.fr
Dedieu
V
V
Renou
J P
JP
Otal
P
P
Joffre
F
F
D000818:Animals; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply; D011817:Rabbits
D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA