Effects of ferumoxytol on quantitative PET measurements in simultaneous PET/MR whole-body imaging: a pilot study in a baboon model.
BACKGROUND
Simultaneous PET/MR imaging depends on MR-derived attenuation maps (mu-maps) for accurate attenuation correction of PET data. Currently, these maps are derived from gradient-echo-based MR sequences, which are sensitive to susceptibility changes. Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles have been used in the measurement of blood volume, tumor microvasculature, tumor-associated macrophages, and characterizing lymph nodes. Our aim in this study was to assess whether the susceptibility effects associated with iron oxide nanoparticles can potentially affect measured (18)F-FDG PET standardized uptake values (SUV) through effects on MR-derived attenuation maps.


METHODS
The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Using a Siemens Biograph mMR PET/MR scanner, we evaluated the effects of increasing concentrations of ferumoxytol and ferumoxytol aggregates on MR-derived mu-maps using an agarose phantom. In addition, we performed a baboon experiment evaluating the effects of a single i.v. ferumoxytol dose (10 mg/kg) on the liver, spleen, and pancreas (18)F-FDG SUV at baseline (ferumoxytol-naïve), within the first hour and at 1, 3, 5, and 11 weeks.


RESULTS
Phantom experiments showed mu-map artifacts starting at ferumoxytol aggregate concentrations of 10 to 20 mg/kg. The in vivo baboon data demonstrated a 53% decrease of observed (18)F-FDG SUV compared to baseline within the first hour in the liver, persisting at least 11 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
A single ferumoxytol dose can affect measured SUV for at least 3 months, which should be taken into account when administrating ferumoxytol in patients needing sequential PET/MR scans. Advances in knowledge 1. Ferumoxytol aggregates, but not ferumoxytol alone, produce significant artifacts in MR-derived attenuation correction maps at approximate clinical dose levels of 10 mg/kg. 2. When performing simultaneous whole-body (18)F-FDG PET/MR, a single dose of ferumoxytol can result in observed SUV decreases up to 53%, depending on the amount of ferumoxytol aggregates in the studied tissue. Implications for patient care Administration of a single, clinically relevant, dose of ferumoxytol can potentially result in changes in observed SUV for a prolonged period of time in the setting of simultaneous PET/MR. These potential changes should be considered in particular when administering ferumoxytol to patients with expected future PET/MR studies, as ferumoxytol-induced SUV changes might interfere with therapy assessment.
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA. ronald@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.|Medical Imaging Centre of Southwest Finland, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. ronald@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
Ronald Jh
RJ
Borra
Center for Advanced Medical Imaging Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA. cho.hoonsung@mgh.harvard.edu.|School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea. cho.hoonsung@mgh.harvard.edu.
Hoon-Sung
HS
Cho
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA. slbowen@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
Spencer L
SL
Bowen
Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany. ulrike.attenberger@medma.uni-heidelberg.de.
Ulrike
U
Attenberger
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA. grae@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
Grae
G
Arabasz
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA. ccatana@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
Ciprian
C
Catana
Center for Advanced Medical Imaging Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA. ljosephson@mgh.harvard.edu.
Lee
L
Josephson
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA. bruce@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.|Department of Meridian & Acupuncture, Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine, East-West Medical Research Institute and School of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea. bruce@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
Bruce R
BR
Rosen
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA. alex@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.|Division of Abdominal Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. alex@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
Alexander R
AR
Guimaraes
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA. hooker@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
Jacob M
JM
Hooker
Attenuation correction; Ferumoxytol; MRI; Multimodal imaging; PET; PET/MR