Abstract #0601

Quantification of Arterial Wall Inflammation in Patients with Arteriits Using High Resolution DCE-MRI: A Correlation Study with 18F-FDG PET-CT

Clemens C. Cyran¹, Tobias Saam¹, Steven Soubron¹, Jos G. Raya¹, Katja Bochmann¹, Markus Hacker², Axel Rominger², Peter Bartenstein², Thomas Pfefferkorn³, Michael Dichgans³, Maximilian F. Reiser¹, Konstantin Nikolaou¹

¹Department of Clinical Radiology, University Hospitals Munich - Grosshadern, Munich, Germany; ²Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospitals Munich - Grosshadern, Munich, Germany; ³Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Munich - Grosshadern, Munich, Germany

DCE-MRI was compared to the gold standard 18F-FDG-PET-CT for its applicability in the non-invasive quantification and measurement of arterial wall inflammation in patients with arteriitis in carotid and vertebral arteries. DCE-MRI of the carotid/vertebral arteries of 12 patients with suspected arteriitis was acquired at 3T (2D-SR-SGRE) using a dedicated 4-channel surface coil. Patients underwent 18F-FDG-PET-CT within one week of the MRI scan. Results showed a good correlation of DCE-MRI with 18F-FDG-PET-CT. This method might be useful in the diagnosis of arteriitis and in monitoring anti-inflammatory therapy.