Correlation between dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion MRI and methionine metabolism in brain gliomas: preliminary results.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate in brain gliomas the relationship between tumor vascularity measured by MR-based maximum regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV) and tumor amino-acid metabolism based on maximum carbon-11 methionine (MET) uptake on positron emission tomography (PET).


METHODS
Eighteen patients with histologically proven primary brain gliomas were included in the study. In addition to conventional MR sequences, dynamic MR images, including a first-pass gadopentetate dimeglumine T2*-weighted echo-planar perfusion sequence and a PET study using MET, were acquired. Eleven patients had low-grade gliomas, and seven had high-grade gliomas. rCBV ratios and MET uptake ratios normalized to the contralateral white matter (WM) corresponding values were measured in each tumor. Both maximum rCBV ratios and maximum MET uptake ratios were correlated to histopathology. The maximum rCBV ratios were correlated to the maximum MET uptake ratios.


RESULTS
Both the maximum rCBV ratios and maximum MET uptake ratios of high-grade gliomas were significantly higher than those of low-grade gliomas (P<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between maximum rCBV ratios and maximum MET uptake ratios (Spearman: r=0.89, P<0.00001).


CONCLUSIONS
The maximum rCBV ratio and maximum MET uptake ratio are significantly correlated in gliomas, reflecting a close link between amino acid uptake and vascularity in these tumors.
Sadeghi
Niloufar
N
Department of Radiology, Hôpital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium. nsadeghi@ulb.ac.be
Salmon
Isabelle
I
Tang
Bich Ngoc Thanh
BN
Denolin
Vincent
V
Levivier
Marc
M
Wikler
David
D
Rorive
Sandrine
S
Balériaux
Danielle
D
Metens
Thierry
T
Goldman
Serge
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic
D003287:Contrast Media; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D008715:Methionine; C038344:methionine methyl ester