Monitoring tissue coagulation during thermoablative treatment by using a novel magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent

Introduction: We tested the feasibility of using a novel contrast agent, MS-325, as a marker of coagulating tissue during thermoablative treatment. Materials and Methods: In vivo, we created coagulated lesions in porcine muscle tissue under 3 different conditions: MS-325 (n = 5), gadolinium-DTPA (n = 5), or no contrast agent (n = 9) present during laser thermoablation. At the same time, we performed continuous T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T. We quantified the change in signal intensity during treatment expressed as relative enhancement, and compared the 3 groups by using Mann-Whitney analysis. Results: MS-325 resulted in a more than 3.2-fold increase in relative enhancement over the gadolinium-DTPA and noncontrast control groups (P < 0.008). Conclusion: MS-325 appears to be a valid marker for coagulating tissue and significantly increased relative enhancement of the treated lesions when compared with both Gd-DTPA and noncontrast-enhanced conditions. MS-325 thus has potential for monitoring of thermoablative treatment.

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