Research ArticleAlginate moulding: an empirical method for magnetic resonance imaging/positron emission tomography co-registration in a tumor rat model
Introduction
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have nowadays become synergistic tools in clinical oncology by giving complementary anatomical and metabolic information which can be superimposed in a so-called co-registration process [1], [2], [3]. The detection and quantification of abnormal metabolic activity within tumoral subareas and/or normal-appearing tissues allow better delineation of the true tumoral volume [4]. Intense research has led to major improvements in both technologies. The accuracy of the co-registration process between anatomical and metabolic images is crucial and requires an easy-to-perform and robust method. The goal has now been achieved for clinical activity by hybrid PET–CT systems enabling fully automated fusion of CT and PET images [5], [6], [7], [8]. However, combined MR–PET systems are more difficult to build because of the low compatibility between positron-detecting crystals and the magnetic environment; prototypic clinical head PET–MR systems are nowadays running [9], [10]. In the experimental field, significant advancements have been made regarding the dedication of MR and PET micro-systems to small animal experimentation. But co-registration of the two modalities still relies on non-automated post-processing using sophisticated algorithms and software developments [11], [12], [13]. We hereby describe an empirical easy-to-use and cheap technique for PET-MR co-registration in a cancer animal model.
Section snippets
Ethical issues
The experiment was carried out in compliance with our institutional ethics committee for laboratory animal experimentation (CE Accred. No. UCL/MD/2007/021).
Animal model
Male WAG/RijHsd rats (Harlan Nederland, Horst, The Netherlands) weighting 250 to 300 g were housed three per cage and received food and water ad libitum. Fragments from a syngenic rhabdomyosarcoma of approximately 1 mm3 were grafted subcutaneously in both thighs under general anesthesia using intraperitoneal injection of ketamine and
Monophasic cohort
Visual assessment was performed to determine whether the contours of the tumors perfectly superimposed on the PET-MR fused images and whether exact superimposition of the external fiducials had been obtained by running “freely” the algorithm without any manual correction.
Biphasic cohort
Similarly to the previous group, visual assessment was performed to verify the superimposition of the tumor contours and of the external fiducials for post-treatment MR and PET image sets. In addition, pre- and post-therapeutic
Feasibility and safety of anesthesia and alginate mould preparation
The technique of general anesthesia was safe and well tolerated by the animals: none of them died from anesthesia or during the period of 3 days in-between the pre- and the post-therapeutic imaging sessions. The alginate mould did not cause respiratory disturbances because the thorax of the animals was located outside it. The procedure to immobilize the rats and to manufacture their own alginate mould was judged easy-to-perform, fast, safe and reproducible by the two operators who manufactured
Discussion
The need for co-registration of PET (metabolic) and CT/MR (anatomic) data has become axiomatic in clinical oncology. Many technological improvements have been done to allow easy-to-use and robust co-registration in the clinical day-to-day practice. But in the experimental field using animal models, PET-MR co-registration still remains a manual process and relies on crafty handwork and sophisticated algorithms and software options aimed at superimposing images acquired in different positions [11]
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a grant from the Fond National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS-FWO) of Belgium. We are indebted to Willy Landuyt, PhD (Experimental Radiobiology/LEO, Katholiek Universiteit Leuven, Belgium), who provided us with the tumor model and brought us his invaluable experience in tumor model handling. We thank Philippe Nuytten, MD, Fellow in Stomatology at our institution, who taught us the use of the alginate.
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