title: A useful tool for the initial assessment of blood-brain barrier permeability after traumatic brain injury in rabbits: dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and its quantitative coefficient (K(trans)) in the assessment of the extent of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a rabbit model.
  
  
  METHODS
  A weight-drop device (height, 20 cm) was used with varying impact force, 30-, 60-, or 90-g weight, to induce mild, moderate, or severe TBI, respectively. DCE-MRI and T2-weighted MRI was used to examine the injured groups and a sham group 1 day after TBI. We analyzed the relationship between K(trans) and the lesion volume on the basis of T2-weighted images in each group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lesion volumes in both the severe and the moderate injury groups were greater than those observed in the mild injury group (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the lesion volumes in the severe injury group tended to be greater than those seen in the moderate injury group (p = 0.053). The K(trans) values in all injury groups were greater than those observed in the sham group (p < 0.01). In addition, the K(trans) values in the severe and moderate injury groups were greater than those of the mild injury group (p < 0.01), and the values seen in the severe injury group tended to be greater than those of the moderate injury group (p = 0.08). Moreover, we observed a correlation between the K(trans) value and lesion volume in all injury groups (mild injury group: r = 0.766, p = 0.01; moderate injury group: r = 0.731, p = 0.04; and severe injury group: r = 0.886, p = 0.019).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DCE-MRI and its quantitative coefficient, K(trans), have the potential to accurately assess the blood-brain barrier and the extent of injury in an in vivo model of TBI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, The Sixth Affiliated People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Er
authors.initials: XE
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ming-Hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yu-Zhen
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yue-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wen-Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D003287:Contrast Media; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D011817:Rabbits; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D011897:Random Allocation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media