Multiple-bolus dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in the pancreas during a glucose challenge.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the feasibility of multiple-bolus dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the pancreas; to optimize the analysis; and to investigate application of the method to a glucose challenge in type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
A 4-bolus DCE-MRI protocol was performed on five patients with type 2 diabetes and 11 healthy volunteers during free-breathing. Motion during the dynamic time series was corrected for using a model-driven nonlinear registration. A glucose challenge was administered intravenously between the first and second DCE-MRI acquisition in all patients and in seven of the healthy controls.


RESULTS
Image registration improved the reproducibility of the DCE-MRI model parameters across the repeated bolus-acquisitions in the healthy controls with no glucose challenge (eg, coefficient of variation for K(trans) improved from 38% to 28%). Native tissue T(1) was significantly lower in patients (374 +/- 68 msec) compared with volunteers (519 +/- 41 msec) but there was no significant difference in any of the baseline DCE-MRI parameters. No effect of glucose challenge was observed in either the patients or healthy volunteers.


CONCLUSIONS
Multiple bolus DCE-MRI is feasible in the pancreas and is improved by nonlinear image registration but is not sensitive to the effects of an intravenous glucose challenge.
Naish
J H
JH
Imaging Science and Biomedical Engineering, School of Cancer and Enabling Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. josephine.naish@manchester.ac.uk
Hutchinson
C E
CE
Caunce
A
A
Roberts
C
C
Waterton
J C
JC
Hockings
P D
PD
Taylor
C J
CJ
Parker
G J M
GJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003287:Contrast Media; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010179:Pancreas / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D020551:Pulse Therapy, Drug; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D001786:Blood Glucose; D003287:Contrast Media; C064925:gadodiamide; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA