Efficacy and Safety of MRI and CT Guided VX2 Hepatic Para-vascular Tumor Model in Rabbits

Abstract

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of 1.5 T MRI and CT guided VX2 hepatic para-vascular tumor model in rabbits. Materials and Methods: Sixty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly and equally divided into MRI-guided group (n=30) and CT-guided group (n=30). Rabbit VX2 tumor fragments were implanted beside the rabbit hepatic great vessels under MRI and CT-guidance in the MRI and CT group respective, to evaluate the success rate of tumor model establishment, puncture needle display and tip peripheral vascular situation, operation time and safety. Results: In MRI-guided group, 29 rabbits (29/30, 96.7%) had successful establishment of liver tumor model, 1 rabbit had needle metastasis. In CT-guided group, 24 rabbits (24/30, 80%) had successful establishment of liver tumor model while 2 rabbits had needle metastasis, 3 rabbits had metastases in other parts of the liver, and 1 had unknown cause of death. The differences in success rate of tumor model establishment between the two groups were statistically significant (χ2 = 4.043, P < 0.05). The fold number of artifacts at T1WI was 7.26±0.38 for the 20 G coaxial puncture needle in the MRI-guided group and 2.51±0.57 for the 20 G coaxial puncture needle in the CT-guided group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=36.76, P < 0.001), but star-shaped hypodense artifacts would appear around the needle tip. The operation time was longer in the MRI-guided group than in the CT-guided group (13.32±2.45 minutes in the MRI-guided group vs 8.42±1.46 minutes in the CT-guided group; t=9.252, P < 0.001). A small number of ascites occurred in 2 patients (2/30, 6.67%) in the CT-guided group; no serious complications such as liver abscess, jaundice or diaphragmatic perforation were observed in both groups. Conclusion: Compared with CT, MRI-guided hepatic para-vascular tumor implantation in rabbits might be a more effective modeling method. Although the needle tip pseudopacity of puncture needle is large and the operation time is long, the incidence of complications is low.