Fluoro-D-glucose-micro positron emission tomography as a diagnostic tool to confirm brain death in a murine donor lung injury model.
OBJECTIVE
Because brain death (BD)-related donor lung injury is still poorly understood, a reliable mouse model can help in understanding the immunologic mechanisms behind this lung injury. The purpose of our study was to validate BD in mice using small-animal positron emission tomography.


METHODS
BD was induced in male Balb/c mice (27.1 ± 0.9 g) with an intracranial balloon catheter inflated rapidly (<1 min) [BD](R) or gradually (36 ± 5 min) [BD](G), and compared with sham-operated [SH] and control animals [C] (n = 6/group). Ten minutes after balloon insertion 10.4 ± 1.0 MBq 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]-fluoro-D-glucose ((18)FDG) was administered intravenously and static images were performed and quantified.


RESULTS
Coronal, sagittal, and transaxial sections of cerebral (18)FDG activity revealed significant differences when comparing [BD](R) and [BD](G) with [C] and [SH] animals. No significant (18)FDG uptake was visually detectable in [BD](R) and [BD](G). The percentage injected dose showed significant differences between BD groups and [C] and [SH] (P < 0.0001). No significant difference was seen between [C] versus [SH] nor between [BD](R)versus [BD](G) (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
(18)FDG micro positron emission tomography imaging is a valuable tool to demonstrate brain functionality and can therefore be used as a surrogate test to confirm BD in mice.
Laboratory for Experimental Thoracic Surgery, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Shana
S
Wauters
Michel
M
Koole
Peter
P
Vermaelen
Jana
J
Somers
Koen
K
Van Laere
Johannes
J
Van Loon
Geert M
GM
Verleden
Dirk
D
Van Raemdonck
D000818:Animals; D001926:Brain Death / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D055370:Lung Injury / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18