title: Measurements of T(1) -relaxation in ex vivo prostate tissue at 132 μT.
abstract: The proton T(1) was measured at 132 μT in ex vivo prostate tissue specimens from radical prostatectomies of 35 patients with prostate cancer. Each patient provided two specimens. The NMR and MRI measurements involved proton repolarization, a field of typically 150 mT and detection of the 5.6-kHz signal with a superconducting quantum interference device. Values of T(1) varied from 41 to 86 ms. Subsequently, the percentages of tissue types were determined histologically. The theoretical image contrast is quantified for each case by δ = [1 - T(1) (more cancer)/T(1) (less cancer)]. A linear fit of δ versus difference in percentage cancer yields T(1) (100% cancer)/T(1) (0% cancer) = 0.70 ± 0.05 with correlation coefficient R(2) = 0.30. Two-dimensional T(1) maps for four specimens demonstrate variation within a single specimen. These results suggest that MR images with T(1) contrast established at ultra-low fields may discriminate prostate cancer from normal prostate tissue in vivo without a contrast agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. sebusch@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Busch
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hatridge
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mößle
authors.forename: Whittier
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Travis
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mück
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuchinsky
authors.forename: Jeffry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simko
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*