Magnetic resonance imaging as a non-invasive method for the assessment of pancreatic fibrosis (MINIMAP): a comprehensive study design from the consortium for the study of chronic pancreatitis, diabetes, and pancreatic cancer

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38 Scopus citations

Abstract

Characteristic features of chronic pancreatitis (CP) may be absent on standard imaging studies. Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques such as T1 mapping, extracellular volume (ECV) fraction, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient map (ADC), MR elastography (MRE), and T1-weighted signal intensity ratio (SIR) have shown promise for the diagnosis and grading severity of CP. However, radiologists still use the Cambridge classification which is based on traditional ductal imaging alone. There is an urgent need to develop new diagnostic criteria that incorporate both parenchymal and ductal features of CP seen by MRI/MRCP. Designed to fulfill this clinical need, we present the MINIMAP study, which was funded in September 2018 by the National Institutes of Health. This is a comprehensive quantitative MR imaging study which will be performed at multiple institutions in well-phenotyped CP patient cohorts. We hypothesize that quantitative MRI/MRCP features can serve as valuable non-invasive imaging biomarkers to detect and grade CP. We will evaluate the role of T1 relaxometry, ECV, T1-weighted gradient echo SIR, MRE, arteriovenous enhancement ratio, ADC, pancreas volume/atrophy, pancreatic fat fraction, ductal features, and pancreatic exocrine output following secretin stimulation in the assessment of CP. We will attempt to generate a multi-parametric pancreatic tissue fibrosis (PTF) scoring system. We anticipate that a quantitative scoring system may serve as a biomarker of pancreatic fibrosis; hence this imaging technique can be used in clinical practice as well as clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of agents which may slow the progression or reverse measures of CP.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2809-2821
Number of pages13
JournalAbdominal Radiology
Volume44
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 15 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Funding

The consortium for the study of Chronic Pancreatitis, Diabetes, and Pancreatic Cancer (CPDPC), is supported by a cooperative agreement grant (DK108323) funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). A major goal of the CPDPC is to improve diagnostic methods and treatment of CP, recurrent acute pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer. The participating sites, the organizational structure of the CPDPC, and its studies are provided in a separate publication [7], and can also be found online at http://cpdpc .mdanderson.org. MINIMAP was funded by the NIDDK (R01DK116963) in September 2018 as a multi-institutional prospective ancillary study within the CPDPC. Characteristic features of chronic pancreatitis (CP) may be absent on standard imaging studies. Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques such as T1 mapping, extracellular volume (ECV) fraction, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient map (ADC), MR elastography (MRE), and T1-weighted signal intensity ratio (SIR) have shown promise for the diagnosis and grading severity of CP. However, radiologists still use the Cambridge classification which is based on traditional ductal imaging alone. There is an urgent need to develop new diagnostic criteria that incorporate both parenchymal and ductal features of CP seen by MRI/MRCP. Designed to fulfill this clinical need, we present the MINIMAP study, which was funded in September 2018 by the National Institutes of Health. This is a comprehensive quantitative MR imaging study which will be performed at multiple institutions in well-phenotyped CP patient cohorts. We hypothesize that quantitative MRI/MRCP features can serve as valuable non-invasive imaging biomarkers to detect and grade CP. We will evaluate the role of T1 relaxometry, ECV, T1-weighted gradient echo SIR, MRE, arteriovenous enhancement ratio, ADC, pancreas volume/atrophy, pancreatic fat fraction, ductal features, and pancreatic exocrine output following secretin stimulation in the assessment of CP. We will attempt to generate a multi-parametric pancreatic tissue fibrosis (PTF) scoring system. We anticipate that a quantitative scoring system may serve as a biomarker of pancreatic fibrosis; hence this imaging technique can be used in clinical practice as well as clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of agents which may slow the progression or reverse measures of CP. Acknowledgements We acknowledge Anil Dasyam, MD; Ely Felker, MD; Zarine Shah, MD; Naoki Takahashi, MD; Shreyas Vasanawala, MD; and Ashley Wachsman, MD (in alphabetical order) for their participation in this study. We acknowledge the support of ChiRhoClin Inc. (Burtonsville, MD, USA) for supplying the Secretin (ChiRhoStim). Funding Research reported in this publication was supported by National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R01DK116963 (MINIMAP), U01DK108323 (IU), U01DK108306 (UPMC), U01DK108327 (OSU), U01DK108314 (CSMC), DKP3041301 (UCLA), U01DK108300 (Stanford), and U01DK108288 (Mayo). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

FundersFunder number
CSMCUCLA, DKP3041301, Mayo
ChiRhoClin, Inc
MINIMAP
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Childhood Cancer Registry – National Cancer Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesU01DK108306, U01DK108327, R01DK116963, U01DK108314, U01DK108300, U01DK108288, DK108323, P01DK098108
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
UPMC EnterprisesOSU
UPMC Enterprises

    Keywords

    • Chronic pancreatitis
    • Diffusion-weighted imaging
    • Extracellular volume
    • MR elastography
    • MRCP
    • MRI
    • T mapping

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
    • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
    • Gastroenterology
    • Urology

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