Work

The Effect of Gadolinium on Synthetic Magnetic Resonance Quantitative Imaging

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Background and Purpose Synthetic (Sy) MRI is a clinically approved technique providing quantitative MRI measures based on T 1 ‐weighted, T 2 ‐weighted, and proton density relaxometry. MRI sequences are often acquired after contrast injection with gadolinium (Gd) to assess active lesions in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), affecting relaxation time. We aimed to assess the influence of Gd on the SyMRI‐based volumetrics in PwMS. Methods We enrolled 106 PwMS and 15 controls who performed pre‐/post‐contrast brain SyMRI on a 3T scanner. We evaluated mean change in brain parenchymal fraction (BPF), white matter (WM), grey matter (GM), myelin (Myl), non‐aqueous component (NAC), excess parenchymal water (EPW), and T 1 enhancement (T 1 E) using paired sample t ‐test for pre‐/post‐Gd volumes and independent sample t ‐test for comparison between groups. Results The mean age was 40.9 and 39.9 years with 69% and 87% females in MS and controls, respectively. Compared to native volumetrics, Gd caused a significant observed volume increase ( p < 0.001) in BPF 1.05 ± 0.3%, WM 2.8 ± 0.99%, Myl 1.42 ± 0.39%, NAC 1.04 ± 0.23%, and EPW 0.6 ± 0.4% and decrease in GM −3.05 ± 1.34% in MS. Similar change was seen in controls: BPF 0.99 ± 0.21%, WM 2.94 ± 0.93%, Myl 1.35 ± 0.37%, NAC 0.99 ± 0.22%, EPW 0.47 ± 0.29%, and GM −2.89 ± 1.18%. The change in T 1 E was 0.05 ± 0.12% in MS ( p < 0.001) and 0.02 ± 0.25% ( p = 0.76) in controls. The number of contrast‐enhancing lesions correlated with T 1 E ( r = 0.348, p < 0.003). Conclusion There was a consistent pattern of volume changes in PwMS and controls, except for T 1 E, where the contrast could have affected the results in PwMS. Therefore, combining pre‐ and post‐contrast metrics in longitudinal studies should be interpreted with caution.

Source: Journal of Neuroimaging

DOI: 10.1111/jon.70104

Authors: Lenka Novakova, Igal Rosenstein, Markus Axelsson, Russell Ouellette

Institutions: Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Region Västra Götaland, University of Gothenburg, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet

Language: English

Topic: Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications

Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,750