Ulrike Fasol1, Dagmar Fisch1, Juergen Hennig1, Moritz Palmowski2, Michael Vogeler3, Rainer Schmelzeisen3, Ralf Gutwald3, Sebastian Sauerbier3
1MR Development and Application Center, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; 2Dep. of Diagnostic Radiology and Institute of Experimental Molecular Imaging, RWTH-Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; 3Department of Oral and Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI enables non-invasive imaging characterisation of tissue vascularity. Therefore it is used for therapy monitoring in oncological studies especially for antiangiogenetic therapies. So it suggests itself to try this method also for in vivo assessment of onset and maintenance of angiogenesis in transplanted biomaterials. The aim of this case study was to evaluate the feasibility to monitor the transformation of the transplanted biomaterial especially with the focus on the formation of the vascular system using morphological and DCE MRI. The tested material was bovine bone matrix applied in a bilateral sinus lift procedure in combination with concentrated mononuclear cells including mesenchymal stem cells and autologous thrombin.