Browsing by Subject "Quantification"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Atherosclerosis Burdens in Diabetes Mellitus: Assessment by PET Imaging
    (MDPI, 2022-09-06) Høilund-Carlsen, Poul F.; Piri, Reza; Madsen, Per Lav; Revheim, Mona-Elisabeth; Werner, Thomas J.; Alavi, Abass; Gerke, Oke; Sturek, Michael; Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, School of Medicine
    Arteriosclerosis and its sequelae are the most common cause of death in diabetic patients and one of the reasons why diabetes has entered the top 10 causes of death worldwide, fatalities having doubled since 2000. The literature in the field claims almost unanimously that arteriosclerosis is more frequent or develops more rapidly in diabetic than non-diabetic subjects, and that the disease is caused by arterial inflammation, the control of which should therefore be the goal of therapeutic efforts. These views are mostly based on indirect methodologies, including studies of artery wall thickness or stiffness, or on conventional CT-based imaging used to demonstrate tissue changes occurring late in the disease process. In contrast, imaging with positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) applying the tracers 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) or 18F-sodium fluoride (NaF) mirrors arterial wall inflammation and microcalcification, respectively, early in the course of the disease, potentially enabling in vivo insight into molecular processes. The present review provides an overview of the literature from the more than 20 and 10 years, respectively, that these two tracers have been used for the study of atherosclerosis, with emphasis on what new information they have provided in relation to diabetes and which questions remain insufficiently elucidated.
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    Atherosclerosis imaging with 18F-sodium fluoride PET: state-of-the-art review
    (Springer Verlag, 2020-06) Høilund-Carlsen, Poul F.; Sturek, Michael; Alavi, Abass; Gerke, Oke; Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine
    Purpose: We examined the literature to elucidate the role of 18F-sodium fluoride (NaF)-PET in atherosclerosis. Methods: Following a systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library included articles underwent subjective quality assessment with categories low, medium, and high. Of 2811 records, 1780 remained after removal of duplicates. Screening by title and abstract left 41 potentially eligible full-text articles, of which 8 (about the aortic valve (n = 1), PET/MRI feasibility (n = 1), aortic aneurysms (n = 1), or quantification methodology (n = 5)) were dismissed, leaving 33 published 2010-2012 (n = 6), 2013-2015 (n = 11), and 2016-2018 (n = 16) for analysis. Results: They focused on coronary (n = 8), carotid (n = 7), and femoral arteries (n = 1), thoracic aorta (n = 1), and infrarenal aorta (n = 1). The remaining 15 studies examined more than one arterial segment. The literature was heterogeneous: few studies were designed to investigate atherosclerosis, 13 were retrospective, 9 applied both FDG and NaF as tracers, 24 NaF only. Subjective quality was low in one, medium in 13, and high in 19 studies. The literature indicates that NaF is a very specific tracer that mimics active arterial wall microcalcification, which is positively associated with cardiovascular risk. Arterial NaF uptake often presents before CT-calcification, tends to decrease with increasing density of CT-calcification, and appears, rather than FDG-avid foci, to progress to CT-calcification. It is mainly surface localized, increases with age with a wide scatter but without an obvious sex difference. NaF-avid microcalcification can occur in fatty streaks, but the degree of progression to CT-calcification is unknown. It remains unknown whether medical therapy influences microcalcification. The literature held no therapeutic or randomized controlled trials. Conclusion: The literature was heterogeneous and with few clear cut messages. NaF-PET is a new approach to detect and quantify microcalcification in early-stage atherosclerosis. NaF uptake correlates with cardiovascular risk factors and appears to be a good measure of the body's atherosclerotic burden, potentially suited also for assessment of anti-atherosclerotic therapy.
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    Fast in vivo 23 Na imaging and T2∗ mapping using accelerated 2D-FID UTE magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging at 3 T: Proof of concept and reliability study
    (Wiley, 2021) Alhulail, Ahmad A.; Xia, Pingyu; Shen, Xin; Nichols, Miranda; Volety, Srijyotsna; Farley, Nicholas; Thomas, Michael Albert; Nagel, Armin M.; Dydak, Ulrike; Emir, Uzay E.; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    Purpose: To implement an accelerated MR-acquisition method allowing to map T2* relaxation and absolute concentration of sodium within skeletal muscles at 3T. Methods: A fast-UTE-2D density-weighted concentric-ring-trajectory 23 Na-MRSI technique was used to acquire 64 time points of FID with a spectral bandwidth of 312.5 Hz with an in-plane resolution of 2.5 × 2.5 mm2 in ~15 min. The fast-relaxing 23 Na signal was localized with a single-shot, inversion-recovery-based, non-echo (SIRENE) outer volume suppression (OVS) method. The sequence was verified using simulation and phantom studies before implementing it in human calf muscles. To evaluate the 2D-SIRENE-MRSI (UTE = 0.55 ms) imaging performance, it was compared to a 3D-MRI (UTE = 0.3 ms) sequence. Both data sets were acquired within 2 same-day sessions to assess repeatability. The T2* values were fitted voxel-by-voxel using a biexponential model for the 2D-MRSI data. Finally, intra-subject coefficients of variation (CV) were estimated. Results: The MRSI-FID data allowed us to map the fast and slow components of T2* in the calf muscles. The spatial distributions of 23 Na concentration for both MRSI and 3D-MRI acquisitions were significantly correlated (P < .001). The test-retest analysis rendered high repeatability for MRSI with a CV of 5%. The mean T2* Fast in muscles was 0.7 ± 0.1 ms (contribution fraction = 37%), whereas T2* Slow was 13.2 ± 0.2 ms (63%). The mean absolute muscle 23 Na concentration calculated from the T2* -corrected data was 28.6 ± 3.3 mM. Conclusion: The proposed MRSI technique is a reliable technique to map sodium's absolute concentration and T2* within a clinically acceptable scan time at 3T.
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    Fat-water separation by fast metabolite cycling magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging at 3 T: A method to generate separate quantitative distribution maps of musculoskeletal lipid components
    (Wiley, 2020-09) Alhulail, Ahmad A.; Patterson, Debra A.; Xia, Pingyu; Zhou, Xiaopeng; Lin, Chen; Thomas, M. Albert; Dydak, Ulrike; Emir, Uzay E.; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    Purpose: To provide a rapid, noninvasive fat-water separation technique that allows producing quantitative maps of particular lipid components. Methods: The calf muscles in 5 healthy adolescents (age 12-16 years; body mass index = 20 ± 3 kg/m2 ) were scanned by two different fat fraction measurement methods. A density-weighted concentric-ring trajectory metabolite-cycling MRSI technique was implemented to collect data with a nominal resolution of 0.25 mL within 3 minutes and 16 seconds. For comparative purposes, the standard Dixon technique was performed. The two techniques were compared using structural similarity analysis. Additionally, the difference in the distribution of each lipid over the adolescent calf muscles was assessed based on the MRSI data. Results: The proposed MRSI technique provided individual fat fraction maps for eight musculoskeletal lipid components identified by LCModel analysis (IMC/L [CH3 ], EMCL [CH3 ], IMC/L [CH2 ]n , EMC/L [CH2 ]n , IMC/L [CH2 -CH], EMC/L [CH2 -CH], IMC/L [-CH=CH-], and EMC/L [-CH=CH-]) with mean structural similarity indices of 0.19, 0.04, 0.03, 0.50, 0.45, 0.04, 0.07, and 0.12, respectively, compared with the maps generated by the used Dixon method. Further analysis of voxels with zero structural similarity demonstrated an increased sensitivity of fat fraction lipid maps from the data acquired using this MRSI technique over the standard Dixon technique. The lipid spatial distribution over calf muscles was consistent with previously published findings in adults. Conclusion: This MRSI technique can be a useful tool when individual lipid fat fraction maps are desired within a clinically acceptable time and with a nominal spatial resolution of 0.25 mL.