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Temperature dependence of postmortem MR quantification for soft tissue discrimination

  • Magnetic Resonance
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Abstract

Objectives

To investigate and correct the temperature dependence of postmortem MR quantification used for soft tissue characterization and differentiation in thoraco-abdominal organs.

Material and methods

Thirty-five postmortem short axis cardiac 3-T MR examinations were quantified using a quantification sequence. Liver, spleen, left ventricular myocardium, pectoralis muscle and subcutaneous fat were analysed in cardiac short axis images to obtain mean T1, T2 and PD tissue values. The core body temperature was measured using a rectally inserted thermometer. The tissue-specific quantitative values were related to the body core temperature. Equations to correct for temperature differences were generated.

Results

In a 3D plot comprising the combined data of T1, T2 and PD, different organs/tissues could be well differentiated from each other. The quantitative values were influenced by the temperature. T1 in particular exhibited strong temperature dependence. The correction of quantitative values to a temperature of 37 °C resulted in better tissue discrimination.

Conclusion

Postmortem MR quantification is feasible for soft tissue discrimination and characterization of thoraco-abdominal organs. This provides a base for computer-aided diagnosis and detection of tissue lesions. The temperature dependence of the T1 values challenges postmortem MR quantification. Equations to correct for the temperature dependence are provided.

Key points

• Postmortem MR quantification is feasible for soft tissue discrimination and characterization

• Temperature dependence of the T1 values challenges the MR quantification approach

• The results provide the basis for computer-aided postmortem MRI diagnosis

• Diagnostic criteria may also be applied for living patients

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Abbreviations

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

PD:

Proton density

pmMRI:

Postmortem resonance imaging

ROI:

Region of interest

T:

Tesla

TE:

Echo time

TR:

Repetition time

T2w:

T2-weighted

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Acknowledgements

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Prof. Christian Jackowski MD, Head of Department, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Bern/Switzerland. 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. The authors state that this work has not received any funding. Beat Kneubuehl, PhD, kindly provided statistical advice for this manuscript. Institutional review board approval was not required because all cases/corpses were investigated by order of the local prosecutors. The prosecutors agreed to research on corpses when the personal data of the deceased persons are treated as strictly confidential. Since we treat all personal data of corpses as confidential we have information from the institutional review board that approval from the review board is not necessary for all our conducted postmortem studies including postmortem imaging. Written informed consent was not required for this study because the subjected studies were deceased persons. None of the study subjects or cohorts have been previously reported. Methodology: prospective, experimental, performed at one institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. From the Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Buehlstrasse 20, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Wolf-Dieter Zech, Nicole Schwendener & Christian Jackowski

  2. The Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), University of Linköping, 58185, Linköping, Sweden

    Anders Persson & Marcel J. Warntjes

Authors
  1. Wolf-Dieter Zech
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  2. Nicole Schwendener
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  3. Anders Persson
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  4. Marcel J. Warntjes
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  5. Christian Jackowski
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Correspondence to Wolf-Dieter Zech.

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Zech, WD., Schwendener, N., Persson, A. et al. Temperature dependence of postmortem MR quantification for soft tissue discrimination. Eur Radiol 25, 2381–2389 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-015-3588-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-015-3588-4

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