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MRI‐guided radiofrequency thermal ablation of implanted VX2 liver tumors in a rabbit model: Demonstration of feasibility at 0.2 T
Author(s) -
Merkle Elmar M.,
Boll Daniel T.,
Boaz Travis,
Duerk Jeffrey L.,
Chung Yio C.,
Jacobs Gretta H.,
Varnes Marie E.,
Lewin Jonathan S.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1522-2594(199907)42:1<141::aid-mrm19>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - thermal ablation , rabbit (cipher) , radiofrequency ablation , ablation , nuclear medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , biomedical engineering , liver tumor , medicine , radiology , materials science , nuclear magnetic resonance , hepatocellular carcinoma , computer science , cancer research , physics , computer security
Successful radiofrequency (RF) thermal ablation was performed on VX2 tumors implanted in 23 rabbit livers under magnetic resonance (MR) guidance using a C‐arm‐shaped low‐field 0.2 T system. RF application and immediate postprocedure MRI of all animals was performed [T 2 ‐weighted, turbo short tau inversion recovery (STIR), T 1 ‐weighted before and after gadopentetate dimeglumine administration). Follow‐up MRI with a superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) contrast medium was performed in nine rabbits at 2 weeks and in four rabbits at 1 month post RF ablation. All livers were harvested for pathologic examination. T 2 ‐weighted and turbo‐STIR images demonstrated the highest tumor‐to‐RF‐thermal lesion contrast‐to‐noise ratios (CNRs; means 4.5 and 3.8, respectively) on postprocedure images; this was redemonstrated at 2‐ and 4‐week follow‐up imaging. T 2 ‐weighted imaging never overestimated pathologic lesion size by more than 2 mm, and the radiologic‐pathologic correlation coefficient was not less than 0.90. In conclusion, MRI‐guided RF thermal ablation in implanted liver tumor is feasible using a C‐arm‐shaped low‐field 0.2 T system. The thermal lesion size can be most accurately monitored with T 2 ‐weighted and turbo‐STIR images. Magn Reson Med 42:141–149, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.