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Gast LV, Platt T, Nagel AM, Gerhalter T. Recent technical developments and clinical research applications of sodium ( 23Na) MRI. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2023; 138-139:1-51. [PMID: 38065665 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2023.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Sodium is an essential ion that plays a central role in many physiological processes including the transmembrane electrochemical gradient and the maintenance of the body's homeostasis. Due to the crucial role of sodium in the human body, the sodium nucleus is a promising candidate for non-invasively assessing (patho-)physiological changes. Almost 10 years ago, Madelin et al. provided a comprehensive review of methods and applications of sodium (23Na) MRI (Madelin et al., 2014) [1]. More recent review articles have focused mainly on specific applications of 23Na MRI. For example, several articles covered 23Na MRI applications for diseases such as osteoarthritis (Zbyn et al., 2016, Zaric et al., 2020) [2,3], multiple sclerosis (Petracca et al., 2016, Huhn et al., 2019) [4,5] and brain tumors (Schepkin, 2016) [6], or for imaging certain organs such as the kidneys (Zollner et al., 2016) [7], the brain (Shah et al., 2016, Thulborn et al., 2018) [8,9], and the heart (Bottomley, 2016) [10]. Other articles have reviewed technical developments such as radiofrequency (RF) coils for 23Na MRI (Wiggins et al., 2016, Bangerter et al., 2016) [11,12], pulse sequences (Konstandin et al., 2014) [13], image reconstruction methods (Chen et al., 2021) [14], and interleaved/simultaneous imaging techniques (Lopez Kolkovsky et al., 2022) [15]. In addition, 23Na MRI topics have been covered in review articles with broader topics such as multinuclear MRI or ultra-high-field MRI (Niesporek et al., 2019, Hu et al., 2019, Ladd et al., 2018) [16-18]. During the past decade, various research groups have continued working on technical improvements to sodium MRI and have investigated its potential to serve as a diagnostic and prognostic tool. Clinical research applications of 23Na MRI have covered a broad spectrum of diseases, mainly focusing on the brain, cartilage, and skeletal muscle (see Fig. 1). In this article, we aim to provide a comprehensive summary of methodological and hardware developments, as well as a review of various clinical research applications of sodium (23Na) MRI in the last decade (i.e., published from the beginning of 2013 to the end of 2022).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena V Gast
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Tanja Platt
- Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Armin M Nagel
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany; Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Teresa Gerhalter
- Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
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Martin K, Tan SJ, Toussaint ND. Magnetic resonance imaging determination of tissue sodium in patients with chronic kidney disease. Nephrology (Carlton) 2021; 27:117-125. [PMID: 34510658 DOI: 10.1111/nep.13975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Excess sodium is a major modifiable contributor to hypertension and cardiovascular risk. Knowledge of sodium storage and metabolism has derived mainly from indirect measurements of dietary sodium intake and urinary sodium excretion, however both attempt to measure body sodium and fluid in a two-compartment model of intracellular and extracellular spaces. Our understanding of total body sodium has recently included a storage pool in tissues. In the last two decades, sodium-23 magnetic resonance imaging (23 Na MRI) has allowed dynamic quantification of tissue sodium in vivo. Tissue sodium is independently associated with cardiovascular dysfunction and inflammation. This review explores (i) The revolution of our understanding of sodium physiology, (ii) The development and potential clinical adoption of 23 Na MRI to provide improved measurement of total body sodium in CKD and (iii) How we can better understand mechanistic and clinical implications of tissue sodium in hypertension, cardiovascular disease and immune dysregulation, especially in the CKD population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kylie Martin
- Department of Nephrology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine (RMH), University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sven-Jean Tan
- Department of Nephrology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine (RMH), University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nigel D Toussaint
- Department of Nephrology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine (RMH), University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Francis S, Buchanan CE, Prestwich B, Taal MW. Sodium MRI: a new frontier in imaging in nephrology. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens 2017; 26:435-441. [PMID: 28877041 DOI: 10.1097/mnh.0000000000000370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review focuses on the recent technological advances in quantitative sodium (Na) MRI to provide a noninvasive measure of tissue viability for use in clinical studies of patients with kidney disease. Na MRI is the only noninvasive imaging technique that allows for the absolute spatial quantification of tissue sodium concentration (TSC), providing assessment of the corticomedullary sodium gradient (CMSG) in the kidney, and allowing measures of TSC in the skin and muscle. RECENT FINDINGS Na MRI of the kidney has demonstrated the sensitivity to measure the CMSG, providing the normal range in healthy individuals and demonstrating a reduction in CMSG in kidney disease and transplanted kidneys. Studies using Na and H MRI have shown that in humans, skeletal muscle and skin can store sodium without water retention, and that sodium concentrations in muscle and skin increase with advancing age. Recent studies have shown that TSC can be mobilised during haemodialysis, and that skin sodium content links closely to left ventricular mass in patients with chronic kidney disease. SUMMARY Na MRI is currently a research technique, but with future advances, Na MRI has potential to become a noninvasive renal biomarker and a measure of tissue sodium storage for clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Francis
- aSir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy bCentre for Kidney Research and Innovation, Division of Medical Sciences and Graduate Entry Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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Zöllner FG, Konstandin S, Lommen J, Budjan J, Schoenberg SO, Schad LR, Haneder S. Quantitative sodium MRI of kidney. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2016; 29:197-205. [PMID: 25728879 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Revised: 01/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/25/2015] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
One of the main tasks of the human kidneys is to maintain the homeostasis of the body's fluid and electrolyte balance by filtration of the plasma and excretion of the end products. Herein, the regulation of extracellular sodium in the kidney is of particular importance. Sodium MRI ((23)Na MRI) allows for the absolute quantification of the tissue sodium concentration (TSC) and thereby provides a direct link between TSC and tissue viability. Renal (23)Na MRI can provide new insights into physiological tissue function and viability thought to differ from the information obtained by standard (1)H MRI. Sodium imaging has the potential to become an independent surrogate biomarker not only for renal imaging, but also for oncology indications. However, this technique is now on the threshold of clinical implementation. Numerous, initial pre-clinical and clinical studies have already outlined the potential of this technique; however, future studies need to be extended to larger patient groups to show the diagnostic outcome. In conclusion, (23)Na MRI is seen as a powerful technique with the option to establish a non-invasive renal biomarker for tissue viability, but is still a long way from real clinical implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank G Zöllner
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Simon Konstandin
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- MR-Imaging and Spectroscopy, Faculty 01 (Physics/Electrical Engineering), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Jonathan Lommen
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Johannes Budjan
- Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stefan O Schoenberg
- Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lothar R Schad
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stefan Haneder
- Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Shah NJ, Worthoff WA, Langen KJ. Imaging of sodium in the brain: a brief review. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2016; 29:162-174. [PMID: 26451752 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.3389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Revised: 07/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Sodium-based MRI plays a vital role in the study of metabolism and can unveil valuable information about emerging and existing pathology--in particular in the human brain. Sodium is the second most abundant MR active nucleus in living tissue and, due to its quadrupolar nature, has magnetic properties not common to conventional proton MRI, which can reveal further insights, such as information on the compartmental distribution of intra- and extracellular sodium. Nevertheless, the use of sodium nuclei for imaging comes at the expense of a lower sensitivity and significantly reduced relaxation times, making in vivo sodium studies feasible only at high magnetic field strength and by the use of dedicated pulse sequences. Hybrid imaging combining sodium MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) simultaneously is a novel and promising approach to access information on dynamic metabolism with much increased, PET-derived specificity. Application of this new methodology is demonstrated herein using examples from tumour imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Jon Shah
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-4, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) - Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen and Jülich, Germany
| | - Wieland A Worthoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-4, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Karl-Josef Langen
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-4, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, 52425, Jülich, Germany
- Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) - Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen and Jülich, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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Dose-dependent changes in renal (1)H-/(23)Na MRI after adjuvant radiochemotherapy for gastric cancer. Strahlenther Onkol 2014; 191:356-64. [PMID: 25445156 DOI: 10.1007/s00066-014-0787-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2014] [Accepted: 10/31/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Combined radiochemotherapy (RCT) for gastric cancer with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) results in ablative doses to the upper left kidney, while image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IG-IMRT) allows kidney sparing despite improved target coverage. Renal function in long-term gastric cancer survivors was evaluated with 3T functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and (23)Na imaging. PATIENTS AND METHODS Five healthy volunteers and 13 patients after radiotherapy were included: 11×IG-IMRT; 1×3D-CRT; 1× "positive control" with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) of a metastasis between the spleen/left kidney. Radiation doses were documented for the upper/middle/lower kidney subvolumes. Late toxicity was evaluated based on CTC criteria, questionnaire, and creatinine values. Morphological sequences, DWI images, and (23)Na images were acquired using a (1)H/(23)Na-tuned body-coil before/after intravenous water load (WL). Statistics for [(23)Na] (concentration) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were calculated for upper/middle/lower renal subvolumes. Corticomedullary [(23)Na] gradients and [(23)Na] differences after WL were determined. RESULTS No major morphological alteration was detected in any patient. Minor scars were observed in the cranial subvolume of the left kidney of the 3D-CRT and the whole kidney of the control SBRT patient. All participants presented a corticomedullary [(23)Na] gradient. After WL, a significant physiological [(23)Na] gradient decrease (p < 0.001) was observed in all HV and IG-IMRT patients. In the cranial left kidney of the 3D-CRT patient and the positive control SBRT patient, the decrease was nonsignificant (p = 0.01, p = 0.02). ADC values were altered nonsignificantly in all renal subvolumes (all participants). Renal subvolumes with doses ≥ 35 Gy showed a reduced change of the [(23)Na] gradient after WL (p = 0.043). No participants showed clinical renal impairment. CONCLUSIONS Functional parameters of renal (23)Na MRI after gastric IG-IMRT are identical to those of healthy volunteers, in contrast to renal subvolumes after ablative doses in the control and 3D-CRT patient. While kidney doses to the cortex below 20-25 Gy in fractional doses of ~ 1 Gy in IG-IMRT (combined with intensified chemotherapy) do not seem to cause significant MRI morphological or functional alterations, doses of > 35 Gy in 1.5-2 Gy fractions clearly result in impairment.
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Zöllner FG, Kalayciyan R, Chacón-Caldera J, Zimmer F, Schad LR. Pre-clinical functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging part I: The kidney. Z Med Phys 2014; 24:286-306. [DOI: 10.1016/j.zemedi.2014.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2013] [Revised: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Moon CH, Furlan A, Kim JH, Zhao T, Shapiro R, Bae KT. Quantitative sodium MR imaging of native versus transplanted kidneys using a dual-tuned proton/sodium (1H/ 23Na) coil: initial experience. Eur Radiol 2014; 24:1320-6. [PMID: 24668008 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-014-3138-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Revised: 01/26/2014] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To compare sodium ((23)Na) characteristics between native and transplanted kidneys using dual-tuned proton ((1)H)/sodium MRI. METHODS Six healthy volunteers and six renal transplant patients (3 normal function, 3 acute allograft rejection) were included. Proton/sodium MRI was obtained at 3 T using a dual-tuned coil. Signal to noise ratio (SNR), sodium concentration ([(23)Na]) and cortico-medullary sodium gradient (CMSG) were measured. Reproducibility of [(23)Na] measurement was also tested. SNR, [(23)Na] and CMSG of the native and transplanted kidneys were compared. RESULTS Proton and sodium images of kidneys were successfully acquired. SNR and [(23)Na] measurements of the native kidneys were reproducible at two different sessions. [(23)Na] and CMSG of the transplanted kidneys was significantly lower than those of the native kidneys: 153.5 ± 11.9 vs. 192.9 ± 9.6 mM (P = 0.002) and 8.9 ± 1.5 vs. 10.5 ± 0.9 mM/mm (P = 0.041), respectively. [(23)Na] and CMSG of the transplanted kidneys with normal function vs. acute rejection were not statistically different. CONCLUSIONS Sodium quantification of kidneys was reliably performed using proton/sodium MRI. [(23)Na] and CMSG of the transplanted kidneys were lower than those of the native kidneys, but without a statistically significant difference between patients with or without renal allograft rejection. KEY POINTS Dual-tuned proton/sodium RF coil enables co-registered proton and sodium MRI. Structural and sodium biochemical property can be acquired by dual-tuned proton/sodium MRI. Sodium and sodium gradient of kidneys can be measured by dual-tuned MRI. Sodium concentration was lower in transplanted kidneys than in native kidneys. Sodium gradient of transplanted kidneys was lower than for native kidneys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chan Hong Moon
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, Presby South tower Suite 3950, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
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Konstandin S, Schad LR. 30 Years of sodium/X-nuclei magnetic resonance imaging. MAGNETIC RESONANCE MATERIALS IN PHYSICS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2014; 27:1-4. [PMID: 24449020 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-013-0426-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2013] [Revised: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In principle, all nuclei with nonzero spin can be employed for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Special scanner hardware and MR sequences are required to select the nucleus-specific frequency and to enable imaging with "sufficient" signal-to-noise ratio. This Special Issue starts with an overview of different nuclei that can be used for MRI today, followed by a review article about techniques required for imaging of quadrupolar nuclei with short relaxation times. Sequence developments to improve image quality and applications on different organs and diseases are presented for different nuclei ((23)Na, (35)Cl, (17)O, and (19)F), with a focus on imaging at natural abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Konstandin
- Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany,
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