title: Endoluminal high-resolution MR imaging protocol for colon walls analysis in a mouse model of colitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An endoluminal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocol including the design of an endoluminal coil (EC) was defined for high-spatial-resolution MR imaging of mice gastrointestinal walls at 4.7 T.
  
  
  METHODS
  A receive-only radiofrequency single-loop coil was developed for mice colon wall imaging. Combined with a specific protocol, the prototype was first characterized in vitro on phantoms and on vegetables. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) profiles were compared with a quadrature volume birdcage coil (QVBC). Endoluminal MR imaging protocol combined with the EC was assessed in vivo on mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SNR measured close to the coil is significantly higher (10 times and up to 3 mm of the EC center) than the SNR measured with the QVBC. The gain in SNR can be used to reduce the in-plane pixel size up to 39 × 39 µm(2) (234 µm slice thickness) without time penalty. The different colon wall layers can only be distinguished on images acquired with the EC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dedicated EC provides suitable images for the assessment of mice colon wall layers. This proof of concept provides gains in spatial resolution and leads to adequate protocols for the assessment of human colorectal cancer, and can now be used as a new imaging tool for a better understanding of the pathology.
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, CREATIS, CNRS UMR 5220, INSERM U1044, INSA-Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France. hugo.dorez@universite-lyon.fr.
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0572-721X
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dorez
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, CREATIS, CNRS UMR 5220, INSERM U1044, INSA-Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: Raphaël
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sablong
authors.affiliation: Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon 1, UMR 5242 CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Canaple
authors.affiliation: LTSI, INSERM U642, Université Rennes 1, Rennes, France.|CRLCC, Centre Eugène Marquis, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saint-Jalmes
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, CREATIS, CNRS UMR 5220, INSERM U1044, INSA-Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gaillard
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, CREATIS, CNRS UMR 5220, INSERM U1044, INSA-Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.|Hôpital Régional Universitaire de Tours-Service Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Driffa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moussata
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, CREATIS, CNRS UMR 5220, INSERM U1044, INSA-Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Beuf
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003092:Colitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003106:Colon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D019697:Onions; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012007:Rectum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio
keywords: Colitis; Colorectal neoplasms; Instrumentation; Magnetic resonance imaging