A Multi-Camera System for Bioluminescence Tomography in Preclinical Oncology Research

Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) of cells expressing luciferase is a valuable noninvasive technique for investigating molecular events and tumor dynamics in the living animal. Current usage is often limited to planar imaging, but tomographic imaging can enhance the usefulness of this technique in quantitative biomedical studies by allowing accurate determination of tumor size and attribution of the emitted light to a specific organ or tissue. Bioluminescence tomography based on a single camera with source rotation or mirrors to provide additional views has previously been reported. We report here in vivo studies using a novel approach with multiple rotating cameras that, when combined with image reconstruction software, provides the desired representation of point source metastases and other small lesions. Comparison with MRI validated the ability to detect lung tumor colonization in mouse lung

Characterization of lung cancer by amide proton transfer (APT) imaging: an in-vivo study in an orthotopic mouse model.

Amide proton transfer (APT) imaging is one of the chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging methods which images the exchange between protons of free tissue water and the amide groups (-NH) of endogenous mobile proteins and peptides. Previous work suggested the ability of APT imaging for characterization of the tumoral grade in the brain tumor. In this study, we tested the feasibility of in-vivo APT imaging of lung tumor and investigated whether the method could differentiate the tumoral types on orthotopic tumor xenografts from two malignant lung cancer cell lines. The results revealed that APT imaging is feasible to quantify lung tumors in the moving lung. The measured APT effect was higher in the tumor which exhibited more active proliferation than the other. The present study demonstrates that APT imaging has the potential to provide a characterization test to differentiate types or grade of lung cancer noninvasively, which may eventually reduce the need invasive needle biopsy or resection for lung cancer

MADplots: A methodology for visualizing and characterizing energy-dependent attenuation of tissues in spectral computed tomography

Rationale and objectives: A method for visualizing and analyzing the complete information contained in spectral CT scans using two-dimensional histograms (i.e. Material Attenuation Decomposition plots – MADplots) of the water-photoelectric attenuation versus water-scatter attenuation at the cohort (combination of multiple studies across patients), examination, series, slice, and organ/ROI levels is described. Materials and methods: The appearance of a MADplot with several standard biological materials was predicted using ideal material properties available from NIST and the ICRU to generate a map for this non-spatial data space. Software tools were developed to generate MADplots as new DICOM series that facilitate spectral analysis. Illustrative examples were selected from an IRB-approved, retrospective cohort of Spectral Basis Images (SBIs) scanned using a pre-release, dual-layer detector spectral CT. Results: By combining all of the voxels for contrast and non-contrast studies, the predicted appearance of the MADplot was confirmed. Locations of several kinds of tissue, the shape of the tissue distributions in normal lung, and the variations in the manner in which organ-specific MADplots change with pathology are demonstrated for the presence of fat in both the liver and pancreas highlighting the potential use for identifying pathologies on spectral CT images. Conclusions: The examples of MADplots shown at cohort (combined studies), examination, series, slice, organ, and ROI levels illustrate their potential utility in analyzing and displaying spectral CT data. Future studies are directed at developing MADplot based organ segmentation and the automated detection and display of organ based pathologies

Evaluating silicone breast implant rupture with photon-counting CT and volumetric silicone maps

We present a case of an 81-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department with bleeding from a right breast wound. The patient had prior imaging suggestive of bilateral silicone implant rupture and a history of low tolerance for MRI scans. Ultrasound imaging in the emergency setting showed findings in the right breast suggestive of a fistula with free silicone and hematoma. A subsequent photon-counting CT scan with custom silicone-specific segmentation allowed differentiation of silicone from hematoma, provided anatomic assessment and location of the fistula, and revealed bilateral silicone-induced lymphadenopathy

Study design for APT imaging of the mice lung using the small animal ventilator.

<p>The animal was mechanically ventilated for constant amplitude and frequency of respiration at 32 breaths/min in which inhalation and end-expiration was 0.2 s and 1.6 s, respectively. The lung was inflated until the intrapulmonary pressure becomes 20 cm H₂O. Fast spin-echo images were obtained following a presaturation pulse (continuous-wave block pulse, B1 = 1.7 µT, duration = 4 s) in the end-expiratory phase.</p

In-vivo APT imaging of lung tumors in the orthotopic mouse model.

<p>Representative T2-weighted images (left) and APT-weighted images (right, MTR_asym map at 3.5 ppm) of A549 (<b>A</b>) and LLC (<b>B</b>) where the tumors (open arrows) are delineated brighter than the surrounding tissues including spinal cord (closed arrows) and skeletal muscles. A typical region of interest to measure signal intensity on a tumor is demonstrated (<b>B</b>).</p