[ RadSafe ] MRI as a tool to assess local radiation-induced damage

[Nils Rudqvist]

Dear radsafers,

I have been reading the TMT Handbook (Triage, Monitoring and Treatment),
http://www.tmthandbook.org/. I found the following text in a chapter
regarding local radiation-induced damage:

"Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be useful in detecting damage in
deeper tissues e.g. muscle. Since MRI may demonstrate oedema and
inflammatory reactions extending well beyond the lesion, these signs cannot
be used alone to guide surgery.",

This can be found on page 291 in the handbook, where they also point to an
article of Peter and Gottlober (2002) as the reference. I have troubles
finding this article and to be honest, i have a hard time finding anything
at all about the clinical use of MRI as an dosimetric instrument. Of course,
one could use MRI to detect lesions and so on, but has it been done? And if
it has been used, to what grade - what absorbed doses could one "detect".

There is some litterature supporting the use of MRI and MRS to look at
higher doses, i.e. lesions in the brain after external radio therapy, but if
one wanted to use MR as a tool to find and do dose-asessments, i dont know
if that is a good idea...

I request your help! If anyone out there have experience of using MR as a
tool for dose-asessment or might know anything at all about it, please
contact me.

Thanks,

Nils Rudqvist
Gothenburg, Sweden