Finnerty, Eoin;
(2018)
The implementation and application of quantitative susceptibility mapping in the pre-clinical liver.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
Preview |
Text
Finnerty_10045958_thesis.pdf Download (4MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) is a relatively new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technique that gives information about the relative quantities of magnetically active constituents of a biological system. Using phase data, not normally utilised in standard MRI, measurements are made of local variations in the main magnetic field, B0. This data is then processed to calculate a map of local magnetic susceptibility within an organ of interest. This map yields relatively quantitative information, and compositional inferences can be made regarding the organ. Thus far, the body of literature on QSM has focussed almost exclusively on the brain, and has been performed on clinical data. This will be a preclinical project, and will focus primarily on the liver. The first two chapters of this thesis will establish the context of the research, as well as the background theory of QSM, including a detailed discussion of the set of algorithms selected to calculate the susceptibility maps for this body of work. The implementation of QSM in the preclinical liver has not been performed previously, and the novelty of the technique and the experimental work performed necessitated optimising both data acquisition and processing protocols. This was done on an empirical basis, and comprises the experimental work detailed in chapter 3. Chapters 4 – 6 describe the application of QSM to a number of hepatic conditions. It was established in chapter 4 that QSM is sensitive to changes in the oxygen saturation of blood in large branches of the major hepatic blood vessels in healthy mice. Chapter 5 discusses the application of QSM to a preclinical model of colorectal liver metastases, and also examines the ability of QSM to assess the efficacy of a Vascular Disrupting Agent (VDA), a novel chemotherapeutic drug. Finally, chapter 6 details the application of QSM to a model of liver cirrhosis.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | The implementation and application of quantitative susceptibility mapping in the pre-clinical liver |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Med Phys and Biomedical Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10045958 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
