Evans, Vincent;
(2020)
Optimisation and applications of chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI techniques for cancer imaging on clinical scanners.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) is receiving growing attention in the field of cancer imaging due to its ability to provide molecular information with good spatial resolution within clinically acceptable scan-times. Translation to the clinic requires a solid evidence-base demonstrating the clinical utility and a range of anatomical regions and pathologies have already been studied. These have traditionally been evaluated in terms of asymmetry-based metrics, the most common of which is the magnetization transfer ratio. However, alternative and potentially more informative metrics are also possible. Investigation of fitting metrics has not been reported at clinical field strengths and there is currently no standard approach for optimising the acquisition and post-processing protocols. The work described in this thesis focuses on the practical development and implementation of z-spectrum fitting methods in vivo at 3.0T. After the technical and clinical introductory chapters, chapter three describes the evaluation and comparison of the use of two different lineshapes for modelling the water direct saturation effect. Chapter four describes the optimization of an acquisition and post-processing protocol suitable for CEST imaging of the human prostate at 3.0T. The repeatability of the method is evaluated and in chapter five the optimized protocol is applied in two cancer patients. In chapter six a method is proposed for identification of CEST and NOE resonances in z- spectra acquired at low-field strengths. Chapter seven describes a pre-clinical study of healthy rat brains at 9.4T highlighting the need to consider the interplay between CEST and perfusion effects. In chapter eight the effects of gadolinium administration on CEST signal and contrast in glioma patients is investigated. I hope that the work described herein and the contributions stemming from it will be of some practical benefit to scientists and clinicians interested in exploring the future potential of the growing field of CEST imaging.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Optimisation and applications of chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI techniques for cancer imaging on clinical scanners |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2020. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Medicine |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10090981 |
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