Abstract #0817

Hakumki J, Lehtimki K, Liimatainen T

In this study, we quantified apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps for the choline moiety (CHO) from BT4C/HSV-tk gliomas undergoing programmed cell death by using diffusion MRSI. CHO diffusion maps revealed that the ADC values in the border sections of the tumors were systematically 10-30% lower than in the center section in single animals. Most importantly, the ADC values of CHO in tumor center sections became significantly reduced by day 4 from the start of ganciclovir treatment. During treatment the ADC of CHO was reduced by more than 50% demonstrating the potential of this index for imaging of apoptotic cell shrinkage.