title: QuantitativeT2: interactive quantitative T2 MRI witnessed in mouse glioblastoma.
abstract: The aim of this study was to establish an advanced analytical platform for complex in vivo pathologies. We have developed a software program, QuantitativeT2, for voxel-based real-time quantitative T2 magnetic resonance imaging. We analyzed murine brain tumors to confirm feasibility of our method for neurological conditions. Anesthetized mice (with invasive gliomas, and controls) were imaged on a 9.4 Tesla scanner using a Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill sequence. The multiecho T2 decays from axial brain slices were analyzed using QuantitativeT2. T2 distribution histograms demonstrated substantial characteristic differences between normal and pathological brain tissues. Voxel-based quantitative maps of tissue water fraction (WF) and geometric mean T2 (gmT2) revealed the heterogeneous alterations to water compartmentalization caused by pathology. The numeric distribution of WF and gmT2 indicated the extent of tumor infiltration. Relative evaluations between in vivo scans and ex vivo histology indicated that the T2s between 30 and 150 ms were related to cellular density and the integrity of the extracellular matrix. Overall, QuantitativeT2 has demonstrated significant advancements in qT2 analysis with real-time operation. It is interactive with an intuitive workflow; can analyze data from many MR manufacturers; and is released as open-source code to encourage examination, improvement, and expansion of this method.
authors.affiliation: Queensland University of Technology , Science and Engineering Faculty, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia.
authors.forename: Tonima Sumya
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging Services , Interior Health, 101-3330 Richter Street, Kelowna V1W 4V5, Canada ; University of British Columbia , Department of Radiology, 2329 W Mall, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada ; University of British Columbia Okanagan , 3333 University Way, Kelowna V1V 1V7, Canada.
authors.forename: Thorarin Albert
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Bjarnason
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary , Faculty of Medicine, Department of Oncology, 2500 University Drive, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada.
authors.forename: Donna L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Senger
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary , Faculty of Medicine, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, 3330 Hospital Drive, Calgary T2N 4N1, Canada ; University of Calgary , Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, 2500 University Drive, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada.
authors.forename: Jeff F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.affiliation: Foothills Medical Centre , Department of Pathology, 1403 29 Street, Calgary T2N 2T9, Canada.
authors.forename: Jeffery T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine , Department of Radiology, 200 1st Street, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, United States.
authors.forename: Joseph Ross
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Mitchell
keywords: QuantitativeT2; glioblastoma; magnetic resonance imaging; qT2; software