Diffusion Is Directional: Innovative Diffusion Tensor Imaging to Improve Prostate Cancer Detection.

In the prostate, water diffusion is faster when moving parallel to duct and gland walls than when moving perpendicular to them, but these data are not currently utilized in multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) for prostate cancer (PCa) detection. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can quantify the directional diffusion of water in tissue and is applied in brain and breast imaging. Our aim was to determine whether DTI may improve PCa detection.

Effect of IV Administration of a Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agent on Breast Diffusion-Tensor Imaging.

The purpose of this study was to quantify changes in diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) parameters before and after IV administration of a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) and explore the influence of those parameters on breast cancer diagnosis. A prospective cohort of 26 women with BI-RADS categories 0, 4, 5, or 6 underwent 3-T breast MRI with sequential DTI before GBCA administration and immediately after. Quantitative image analysis using dedicated DTI software yielded parametric DTI maps of each directional diffusion coefficient (DDC), mean diffusivity, and maximal anisotropy of the lesions and normal tissue.

Quantitative evaluation of breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy by diffusion tensor imaging: Initial results.

Background: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) yields several parameters that have not been tested in response evaluation to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Purpose: To evaluate and compare in reference to histopathology findings the ability of DTI and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI to monitor response to NAC.

Study Type: Retrospective.

Monitoring In-Vivo the Mammary Gland Microstructure during Morphogenesis from Lactation to Post-Weaning Using Diffusion Tensor MRI.

Lactation and the return to the pre-conception state during post-weaning are regulated by hormonal induced processes that modify the microstructure of the mammary gland, leading to changes in the features of the ductal / glandular tissue, the stroma and the fat tissue. These changes create a challenge in the radiological workup of breast disorder during lactation and early post-weaning. Here we present non-invasive MRI protocols designed to record in vivo high spatial resolution, T-weighted images and diffusion tensor images of the entire mammary gland.

Estrogen Receptor-Targeted Contrast Agents for Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Breast Cancer Hormonal Status.

The estrogen receptor (ER) α is overexpressed in most breast cancers, and its level serves as a major prognostic factor. It is important to develop quantitative molecular imaging methods that specifically detect ER in vivo and assess its function throughout the entire primary breast cancer and in metastatic breast cancer lesions. This study presents the biochemical and molecular features, as well as the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) effects of two novel ER-targeted contrast agents (CAs), based on pyridine-tetra-acetate-Gd(III) chelate conjugated to 17β-estradiol (EPTA-Gd) or to tamoxifen (TPTA-Gd).