Quantitative assessment of bladder tissue properties using magnetic resonance fingerprinting: a pilot feasibility study in healthy volunteers

TL;DR

This study shows that magnetic resonance fingerprinting can measure bladder tissue properties in healthy volunteers, with changes observed before and after urination.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the feasibility of using MRF to quantify bladder wall T1 and T2 relaxation times in healthy individuals.

Findings

T1 relaxation times decreased by 6% after voiding compared to before (p = 0.035).

Mean T1 relaxation times were 1,575 ms pre-void and 1,476 ms post-void.

T2 relaxation times showed minimal change, with values of 55 ms pre-void and 53 ms post-void.

Abstract

To investigate the feasibility of performing magnetic resonance
fingerprinting (MRF) of the bladder and quantify the T1 and T2 relaxation
times of the bladder wall in healthy female volunteers, before and after
voiding.

Volunteers without lower urinary tract symptoms underwent pelvic MRF. Five
axial MRF slices of the bladder were obtained before and after voiding.
Regions of interest were annotated on MRF T1 maps: one on the anterior
bladder wall, and one on a lateral wall. Annotations made on T1 maps were
subsequently copied to coregistered T2 maps. Student’s t-tests for paired
samples were employed to compare the T1 and T2 values obtained before
voiding with those obtained after voiding.

Eight volunteers were included. The mean preand post-void T1 relaxation times
were 1,575 ± 93 ms and 1,476 ± 138 ms, respectively. The mean
preand post-void T2 relaxation times were 55 ± 21 ms and 53 ±
8 ms, respectively. The mean T1 relaxation times were 6% lower after voiding
than before (p = 0.035).

The use of MRF to quantify T1 and T2 relaxation times in the bladder appears
to be feasible. Our results can serve as a reference for studies
investigating T1 and T2 relaxation times in patients with malignant or
nonmalignant bladder disorders.

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