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Absence of DNA double-strand breaks in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells after 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging assessed by γH2AX flow cytometry

  • Magnetic Resonance
  • Published:
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Abstract

Objectives

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is regarded as a non-harming and non-invasive imaging modality with high tissue contrast and almost no side effects. Compared to other cross-sectional imaging modalities, MRI does not use ionising radiation. Recently, however, strong magnetic fields as applied in clinical MRI scanners have been suspected to induce DNA double-strand breaks in human lymphocytes.

Methods

In this study we investigated the impact of 3-T cardiac MRI examinations on the induction of DNA double-strand breaks in peripheral mononuclear cells by γH2AX staining and flow cytometry analysis. The study cohort consisted of 73 healthy non-smoking volunteers with 36 volunteers undergoing CMRI and 37 controls without intervention. Differences between the two cohorts were analysed by a mixed linear model with repeated measures.

Results

Both cohorts showed a significant increase in the γH2AX signal from baseline to post-procedure of 6.7 % (SD 7.18 %) and 7.8 % (SD 6.61 %), respectively. However, the difference between the two groups was not significant.

Conclusion

Based on our study, γH2AX flow cytometry shows no evidence that 3-T MRI examinations as used in cardiac scans impair DNA integrity in peripheral mononuclear cells.

Key Points

• No evidence for DNA double-strand breaks after cardiac MRI.

• Prospective study underlines safe use of MRI with regard to DNA damage.

• Controlled trial involving both genders investigating DNA DSBs after 3-T MRI.

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Abbreviations

CMRI:

Cardiac MRI

DSB:

DNA double-strand break

MFI:

Median fluorescence intensity

PBMCs:

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells

SAR:

Specific energy absorption rate

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Acknowledgements

Figure 1 contains images that are licensed by creative commons CC BY 3.0

CC: creativecommons.org/ns; CC terms: purl.org/dc/termes/; CC attribution: www.servier.com/Powerpoint-image-bank; license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

An extract of preliminary results of this study was the subject of an oral presentation during the 19th Annual SCMR Scientific Sessions 2016 (DOI: 10.1186/1532-429X-18-S1-O129); https://jcmr-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1532-429X-18-S1-O129

Funding

The authors state that this work has not received any funding.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Martin Fasshauer and Thomas Krüwel contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Heart Center, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany

    Martin Fasshauer, Thomas Krüwel, Vera C. Stahnke, Wieland Staab, Jan M. Sohns, Christina Unterberg-Buchwald, Christian Ritter & Joachim Lotz

  2. German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Göttingen, Germany

    Martin Fasshauer, Wieland Staab, Jan M. Sohns, Michael Steinmetz, Christina Unterberg-Buchwald, Andreas Schuster, Christian Ritter & Joachim Lotz

  3. Department of Medical Statistics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

    Antonia Zapf

  4. Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

    Margret Rave-Fränk

  5. Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Heart Center, Göttingen, Germany

    Michael Steinmetz

  6. Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen Heart Center, Göttingen, Germany

    Christina Unterberg-Buchwald & Andreas Schuster

Authors
  1. Martin Fasshauer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin Fasshauer.

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Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Joachim Lotz.

Conflict of interest

The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

Statistics and biometry

One of the authors has significant statistical expertise.

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Institutional Review Board approval was obtained.

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Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (volunteers) in this study.

Methodology

• prospective

• experimental

• performed at one institution

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Fasshauer, M., Krüwel, T., Zapf, A. et al. Absence of DNA double-strand breaks in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells after 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging assessed by γH2AX flow cytometry. Eur Radiol 28, 1149–1156 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-017-5056-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-017-5056-9

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