[Magnetic resonance cerebral blood volume maps. Comparison with histologic findings in different types of brain...

Recent developments in magnetic resonance (MR) have made it possible to obtain measurements of the microvasculature within brain lesions. Cerebral blood volume (CBV) maps calculated from dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging are particularly sensitive for depicting the microvasculature, and can enable the detection of neovascularization as well as its quantification in relative terms. The purpose of the present work is to compare the results of CBV maps calculated from MR imaging with those from histologic examination of the same region of interest: the biopsy site. Nineteen patients with brain lesions were studied (18 brain tumors and one case of multiple sclerosis). All patients underwent stereotactic biopsy, and calculation of CBV was performed from perfusion MR imaging. Three histopathologic parameters were assessed: the number of vessels (vessel density), the vessel size and the surface area filled by vessels (%). We observed a statistically significant correlation between the vessel density and the CBV, which is consistent with some previous publications. A noninvasive imaging method for characterizing the functional properties, especially hemodynamic activity, of malignant processes seems to be of great benefit to clinical practice.