Abstract #3009

Evaluation of Positive Contrast Around SPIO-Loaded Polymer Threads for Surgical Mesh Delineation by MRI

Hank C. W. Donker¹, Nils A. Krmer², Jens Otto³, Ioana Slabu⁴, Martin Baumann⁴, Uwe Klinge³, Christiane K. Kuhl²

¹Department of Diagnostic Radiology , RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, NRW, Germany; ²Department of Diagnostic Radiology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, NRW, Germany; ³Department of Chirurgy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, NRW, Germany; ⁴Helmholtz Institute for Applied Medical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, NRW, Germany

Surgical textile mesh implants for abdominal hernia repair are hard to delineate in MRI. To improve MR-visualization, superparamagnetic iron oxides (SPIO) were implanted in the mesh polymer base material. SPIO generate magnetic susceptibility gradients. To discriminate SPIO induced voids from proton-free structures positive contrast susceptibility imaging was developed. Here 4 ways to generate positive contrast from susceptibility gradients were compared: IRON, FLAPS, white-marker imaging and SGM. The acquisition of a gradient echo image with a calculated Short Term Fourier Transform Susceptibility Gradient Map image is to be preferred for positive contrast imaging of SPIO loaded hernia meshes.