Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer for Lactate-Weighted Imaging at 3 T MRI: Comprehensive In Silico, In Vitro, In Situ, and In Vivo Evaluations

Autor: Karl Ludger Radke, Daniel B. Abrar, Miriam Frenken, Lena Marie Wilms, Benedikt Kamp, Matthias Boschheidgen, Patrick Liebig, Alexandra Ljimani, Timm Joachim Filler, Gerald Antoch, Sven Nebelung, Hans-Jörg Wittsack, Anja Müller-Lutz
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Tomography, Vol 8, Iss 3, Pp 1277-1292 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2379-139X
2379-1381
DOI: 10.3390/tomography8030106
Popis: Based on in silico, in vitro, in situ, and in vivo evaluations, this study aims to establish and optimize the chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging of lactate (Lactate-CEST—LATEST). To this end, we optimized LATEST sequences using Bloch–McConnell simulations for optimal detection of lactate with a clinical 3 T MRI scanner. The optimized sequences were used to image variable lactate concentrations in vitro (using phantom measurements), in situ (using nine human cadaveric lower leg specimens), and in vivo (using four healthy volunteers after exertional exercise) that were then statistically analyzed using the non-parametric Friedman test and Kendall Tau-b rank correlation. Within the simulated Bloch–McConnell equations framework, the magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry (MTRasym) value was quantified as 0.4% in the lactate-specific range of 0.5–1 ppm, both in vitro and in situ, and served as the imaging surrogate of the lactate level. In situ, significant differences (p < 0.001) and strong correlations (τ = 0.67) were observed between the MTRasym values and standardized intra-muscular lactate concentrations. In vivo, a temporary increase in the MTRasym values was detected after exertional exercise. In this bench-to-bedside comprehensive feasibility study, different lactate concentrations were detected using an optimized LATEST imaging protocol in vitro, in situ, and in vivo at 3 T, which prospectively paves the way towards non-invasive quantification and monitoring of lactate levels across a broad spectrum of diseases.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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