AJR Women's Imaging Online
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Taschner, C. A.
Right arrow Articles by Radue, E. W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Taschner, C. A.
Right arrow Articles by Radue, E. W.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Hotlight (NEW!)
Right arrow
What's Hotlight?
DOI:10.2214/AJR.04.1286
AJR 2005; 185:1477-1486
© American Roentgen Ray Society

Original Research

Characteristics of Ultrasmall Superparamagnetic Iron Oxides in Patients with Brain Tumors

Christian A. Taschner1, Stephan G. Wetzel1, Markus Tolnay2, Johannes Froehlich3, Adrian Merlo4 and Ernst W. Radue1

1 Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel 4031, Switzerland.
2 Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel 4031, Switzerland.
3 Guerbet, Zürich, Switzerland.
4 Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Basel, Basel 4031, Switzerland.

OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of an ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxides (USPIO) agent in patients with brain tumors and to correlate changes on MRI with histopathologic data collected systematically in all patients.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Nine patients with brain tumors were imaged before and 24 hr after administration of a USPIO at a dose of 2.6 mg Fe/kg. Analysis of MR images included qualitative and quantitative comparison of the USPIO and gadolinium enhancement of brain tumors. Brain surgery was performed 25-112 hr after administration of the USPIO. The histopathologic workup included iron histochemistry with diaminobenzidine (DAB)-enhanced Perls stain.

RESULTS. In seven of nine patients, USPIO-related changes of signal intensity were observed in gadolinium-enhancing brain tumors on T1- and T2*-weighted sequences. The difference in signal intensity on T1-weighted USPIO series was 40.1% ± 26.7% (mean ± SD). On T2*-weighted USPIO series, the difference in signal intensity was -33.1% ± 18.4% in solid tumor parts. Areas of suspected radiation necrosis did not enhance in three patients with prior radiation therapy. Iron histochemistry revealed the presence of iron deposits in macrophages in two patients.

CONCLUSION. USPIO agents will not replace gadolinium in the workup of patients with brain tumors. Our findings suggest that USPIO agents seem to offer complementary information and may help to differentiate between brain tumors and areas of radiation necrosis. Signal intensity changes on T2*-weighted images might be related to the blood pool properties of the agent, possibly reflecting steady-state susceptibility effects.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2005 by the American Roentgen Ray Society.