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Evaluation of Gliomas with Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting with PET Correlation-A Comparative Study
Wolfgang Marik1, Pedro Lima Cardoso2, Elisabeth Springer2,3
1Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
Objectives:
Advanced MR imaging of brain tumors is still mainly based on qualitative imaging. PET imaging offers additive metabolic information, and MR fingerprinting (MRF) offers a novel approach to quantitative data acquisition. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of MRF to predict tumor regions and grading in combination with PET.
Methods:
Seventeen patients with histologically verified infiltrating gliomas and available amino-acid PET data were enrolled. ROIs for solid tumor parts (SPo), perifocal edema (ED1), and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) were selected on conventional MRI sequences and aligned to the MRF and PET images. The predictability of gliomas by region and grading as well as intermodal correlations were assessed.
Results:
For MRF, we calculated an overall predictability by region (SPo, ED1, and NAWM) for all of the MRF parameters of 76.5%, 47.1%, and 94.1%, respectively. The overall ability to distinguish low- from high-grade gliomas using MRF was 88.9% for LGG and 75% for HGG, with an accuracy of 82.4%, a ppV of 85.71%, and an npV of 80%. PET positivity was found in 13/17 patients for solid tumor parts, and in 3/17 patients for the edema region. However, there was no significant difference in region-specific MRF values between PET positive and PET negative patients.
Conclusions:
MRF and PET provide quantitative measurements of the tumor tissue characteristics of gliomas, with good predictability. Nonetheless, the results are dissimilar, reflecting the different underlying mechanisms of each method.
Insights
MR fingerprinting (MRF) and PET offer quantitative insights into glioma characteristics. MRF shows good predictability for tumor regions and grading, though results differ from PET, highlighting distinct imaging mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Oncology
- Radiology
Background:
- Advanced brain tumor imaging relies on qualitative MRI.
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) provides metabolic information.
- MR fingerprinting (MRF) enables novel quantitative data acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess MRF's ability to predict glioma regions and grade.
- To evaluate MRF in combination with PET for brain tumor characterization.
- To compare quantitative data from MRF and PET.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen patients with infiltrating gliomas underwent MRF and amino-acid PET.
- Regions of interest (ROIs) included solid tumor parts, edema, and white matter.
- Predictability by region and grade, plus intermodal correlations, were analyzed.
Main Results:
- MRF demonstrated high predictability for normal white matter (94.1%) and solid tumor parts (76.5%).
- MRF distinguished low-grade from high-grade gliomas with 82.4% accuracy.
- PET positivity was observed in solid tumor parts but showed no significant correlation with MRF values.
Conclusions:
- MRF and PET provide valuable quantitative measurements for glioma tissue characteristics.
- MRF exhibits good predictability for tumor regions and grading.
- The dissimilar results between MRF and PET reflect their different underlying imaging mechanisms.
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