Delayed Gadolinium-enhanced MR Imaging of Cartilage: A Comparative Analysis of Different Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents in an ex Vivo Porcine Model

作者：Kang Yusuhn; Choi Ja Young^*; Yoo Hye Jin; Hong Sung Hwan; Kang Heung Sik

来源：Radiology, 2017, 282(3): 734-742.

DOI：10.1148/radiol.2016160367

Purpose: To compare the delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) indexes acquired with different gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs), with emphasis on the difference in electrical charge, and to evaluate the feasibility of the use of GBCAs other than gadopentetate dimeglumine with a double negative charge (Gd-DTPA(2-)) as alternatives at dGEMRIC.
Materials and Methods: Intact porcine patellae (n = 44) were divided into four groups according to GBCA used: Gd-DTPA(2-), double negative gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA(2-)), single negative gadoterate meglumine (Gd-DOTA(-)), and nonionic gadobutrol (Gd-DT-DO3A). Patellae in each group were further assigned to control (n = 3) or trypsin-treated (n = 8) groups and were immersed in GBCA solutions prepared at a concentration of 2.5 mmol/L. T1 maps were acquired at 10-minute intervals at 0-120 minutes. The difference between postcontrast R1 and precontrast R1 (Delta R) and the time Delta R curves were plotted. Patellae were stained with safranin-O to evaluate the proteoglycan content of the cartilage. A linear mixed-effects model was used to analyze the time Delta R curves, and Student t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare dGEMRIC indexes between groups.
Results: The difference in the estimated slopes of the time Delta R curves between control and trypsin-treated groups were greatest with Gd-BOPTA(2-), followed by Gd-DTPA(2-), Gd-DOTA(-), and Gd-DT-DO3A, with differences in the estimated slopes of 0.037, 0.022, 0.018, and 0.011, respectively. The slope difference between control and trypsin-treated groups was significantly greater with Gd-BOPTA(2) (P < .001) and significantly smaller with Gd-DTDO3A (P = .004) in comparison with that with Gd-DTPA(2-). Only the GBCAs with double negative charges showed significant differences in both the T1 measured after equilibration of cartilage with GBCA solution and the Delta R at 90 and 120 minutes between the control and trypsin-treated groups.
Conclusion: Double negative GBCAs produced better contrast between normal and degenerated cartilage than did those with a single negative charge and nonionic GBCAs at the same concentration for dGEMRIC. Because Gd-BOPTA(2-), a high-relaxivity GBCA, showed higher contrast than did Gd-DTPA(2-), Gd-BOPTA(2-) may be useful as an alternative GBCA for dGEMRIC.

• 出版日期2017-3