title: Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and CT provide comparable measurement of blood-brain barrier permeability in a rodent stroke model.
abstract: In the current management of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), clinical criteria are used to estimate the risk of hemorrhagic transformation (HT), which is a devastating early complication. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and computed tomography (DCE-CT) may serve as physiologically-based decision making tools to more reliably assess the risk of HT. Before these tools can be properly validated, the comparability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability measurements they generate should be assessed. Sixteen rats were subjected to a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion before successively undergoing DCE-CT and DCE-MRI at 24-hours. BBB permeability (K(trans)) values were generated from both modalities. A correlation of R=0.677 was found (p<0.01) and the resulting relationship was [DCE-CT=(0.610*DCE-MRI)+4.140]. A variance components analysis found the intra-rat coefficient of variation to be 0.384 and 0.258 for K(trans) values from DCE-MRI and DCE-CT respectively. Permeability measures from DCE-CT were 22% higher than those from DCE-MRI. The results of this study demonstrate for the first time comparability between DCE-CT and DCE-MRI in the assessment of AIS. These results may provide a foundation for future clinical trials making combined use of these modalities.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Zamir
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Merali
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Experimental Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Teser
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Experimental Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Meah MingYang
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroradiology, Joint Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mikulis
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Experimental Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: andrea.kassner@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kassner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D002533:Cerebral Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D020521:Stroke / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media
keywords: Acute ischemic stroke; Animal model; Blood–brain barrier permeability; CT; Dynamic contrast-enhanced; MRI