Lindsey Alexandra Crowe1, Frederic Ris2,
Sonia Nielles-Vallespin3, Peter Speier3, Michel Kocher4,
Solange Masson2, Christian Toso2, Domenico Bosco2,
Thierry Berney2, Jean-Paul Valle1
1Department of Radiology, Geneva
University Hospital, University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva,
Switzerland; 2Cell Isolation and Transplant Center, Department of
Surgery, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland; 3Siemens
AG Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany; 4Biomedical Imaging
Group, School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne,
Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
In-vivo
3D difference ultra-short echo time (dUTE) imaging gives quantitative
positive contrast images for serial examination by automatic segmentation of
iron oxide labeled islet cell clusters transplanted into the liver. Coverage
of the whole liver in the absence of cardiac and respiratory motion artifact,
and isotropic resolution is obtained with uniform background suppression.
Three types of grafts: syngeneic, allogeneic and xenogeneic, were studied
over time in rat, with success of islet graft, effect of magnetofection and
rate of islet loss measurably different.
The method shows promise for robust long term tracking of cell
rejection in patients.