title: Feasibility of multiple-mouse dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.
abstract: Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE-) MRI is often used to evaluate the response to experimental antiangiogenic therapies in small animal models of cancer. Unfortunately, DCE-MRI studies often require a substantial investment of both time and money to achieve the desired level of statistical significance. Multiple-mouse MRI has previously been used to improve imaging efficiency, but its feasibility for DCE-MRI has not been investigated. The purpose of this work was to determine if multiple-mouse DCE-MRI is feasible when using gadolinium-based contrast agents with a low molecular weight. A population of tumor-bearing mice was scanned using two four-element arrays and a single-coil configuration on a 4.7T, 40 cm bore Bruker Biospec MRI scanner. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated and compared to determine if a significant difference between methodologies existed. With both four-animal imaging configurations, animal throughput accelerations of just less than three were achieved and quantitative data were not significantly different than from single-animal acquisitions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Physics, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030-4009, USA.
authors.forename: Marc S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: Dustin K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Ragan
authors.forename: Vikas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kundra
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bankson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000473:pathology; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA