Measurement of tumor blood flow using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and deconvolution analysis: a preliminary study in musculoskeletal tumors.
OBJECTIVE
To measure tumor blood flow (TBF) using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI).


METHODS
A DCE-MRI was performed using inversion recovery-preparation fast-field echo sequences. Dynamic data were obtained every 3.2 seconds for 2 minutes, immediately after gadolinium injection. In 14 patients with malignant musculoskeletal tumors, TBF maps were generated pixel-by-pixel by deconvolution analysis. For preclinical studies, muscle blood flow in 5 volunteers and signal intensities of different gadolinium concentrations were measured.


RESULTS
There was a good linear relationship between signal intensities and gadolinium concentrations (r = 0.989, P < 0.001, at gadolinium concentrations <or=2 mmol/L). The average value of muscle blood flow in volunteers was 11.1 +/- 2.7 mL.100 mL.min. In 14 patients with musculoskeletal tumors, TBF showed wide variances: the lowest of 9.6 mL.100 mL.min in liposarcoma and the highest of 182.0 mL.100 mL.min in osteosarcoma. After chemotherapy, the TBF values (7.9, 11.0, and 11.7 mL. 100 mL.min) in the good responders were lower than those (26.8, 31.0, and 62.4 mL.100 mL.min) in the poor responders.


CONCLUSIONS
A functional map of TBF generated by DCE-MRI and deconvolution analysis would be a promising tool for evaluating tumor blood flow in vivo.
Sugawara
Yoshifumi
Y
Department of Radiology, Ehime University School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan. sugawara@m.ehime-u.ac.jp
Murase
Kenya
K
Kikuchi
Keiichi
K
Sakayama
Kenshi
K
Miyazaki
Tatsuhiko
T
Kajihara
Makoto
M
Miki
Hitoshi
H
Mochizuki
Teruhito
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019042:Muscle Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow
D003287:Contrast Media; D005682:Gadolinium