CORRELATION OF MR IMAGING-DETERMINED CEREBRAL BLOOD-VOLUME MAPS WITH HISTOLOGIC AND ANGIOGRAPHIC DETERMINATION OF VASCULARITY OF GLIOMAS

OBJECTIVE. Our purpose was to evaluate the relationships between the r atio of maximum relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) (rCBV ratio = rC BV[tumor] / rCBV[contralateral white matter]) and histologic and angio graphic vascularities of gliomas using the gradient-echo echoplanar MR imaging technique. We also evaluated the usefulness of rCBV maps for grading gliomas. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. We examined 30 patients with hi stologically verified gliomas. Gliomas were classified as glioblastoma , anaplastic glioma with enhancement, anaplastic glioma without enhanc ement, and low-grade glioma. The maximum rCBV ratio of each glioma was compared with both histologic and angiographic vascularities, and the relationship between the maximum rCBV ratios and each type of glioma was established, RESULTS. The maximum rCBV ratios of the gliomas signi ficantly correlated with both histologic and angiographic vascularitie s (p < .001). Mean values and SDs of maximum rCBV ratios of each type of tumor were 7.32 +/- 4.39 for glioblastomas, 5.84 +/- 1.82 for anapl astic gliomas with enhancement, 1.53 +/- 0.75 for anaplastic gliomas w ithout enhancement, and 1.26 +/- 0.55 for low-grade gliomas. The maxim um rCBV ratios of the glioblastomas were significantly higher than tho se of the anaplastic gliomas without enhancement (p =.002) and the low -grade gliomas (p < .001), The maximum rCBV ratios of the anaplastic g liomas with enhancement were higher than those of the anaplastic gliom as without enhancement and the low-grade gliomas, but the differences were not statistically significant (p =.08 and p = .03, respectively). CONCLUSION. The results of perfusion-sensitive MR imaging with gradie nt-echo echoplanar technique correlated with both histologic and angio graphic vascularities.