MR vascular imaging for planning and follow up of GKR for brain AVM
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Optimization of magnetic resonance vascular imaging for planning and follow up of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for brain arteriovenous malformations
IRAS ID
155348
Contact name
Rolf/RJ Jager
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London. Joint Research Office
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2014/12/15, UCL Data Protection Registration
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (GKR) is a well-established minimally invasive treatment option for patients with arteriovenous malformations of the brain. The state of art planning strategy for GKR of brain Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM) involves a stereotactic conventional Catheter-based Cerebral Angiography (CCA) on the day of treatment for delineation of a radio-surgical target, as well as standard volumetric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. A second CCA is routinely performed two to three years after radiosurgery to evaluate treatment response and detect nidus obliteration. However, CCA remains an invasive tool with a potential risk, albeit low, of severe peri-procedural complications and exposes both patients and medical staff to ionizing radiation.
Time-Resolved Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography (TR-CE-MRA) and noncontrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) using Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL) are innovative, less-invasive techniques that have shown great promise for dynamic and vessel selective three-dimensional (3D) intracranial angiography. It is the purpose of this study to evaluate if these novel MRA techniques can provide sufficient temporal and spatial resolution to enable optimal planning and follow up of GKR of cerebral AVMs.
Patients undergoing CCA for planning of Gamma Radiosurgery, or evaluation of treatment response after radiosurgery, will also undergo MR imaging using several MRA sequences. Optimization of these less invasive MR vascular imaging techniques and their comparison with standard CCA will provide insight on the feasibility of using MRA as an alternative to CCA for planning of Gamma Knife for AVMs and/or evaluation of treatment response after radiosurgery.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0033
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion