Role of CT perfusion imaging in the preoperative grading of astrocytoma and its relationship with angiogenesis

Objective: To explore the role and value of CT perfusion imaging in the preoperative grading of astrocytoma and in the angiogenesis.Methods: Twenty-seven patients with astrocytoma diagnosed by surgical pathology(13 low-grade astrocytoma,14 high-grade astrocytoma) who underwent CT perfusion imaging within 1 month before surgery were include in this study.The cerebral blood flow(CBF),cerebral blood volume(CBV),and permeability surface(PS) were determined.The parameters of CT perfusion imaging of both the low-grade and high-grade astrocytomas were analyzed statistically,and the relationship between CBV and microvessel density(MVD) was analyzed.Results: The values of CBF,CBV,and PS in astrocytoma were all higher than those in the normal cerebral tissues.There were significant difference in CBF,CBV,and PS between the low-grade and high-grade astrocytomas (rCBF1.39±0.19vs.4.96±2.17,rCBV 2.28±0.32 vs.4.69±1.98,rPS 6.58±2.66 vs.19.19±9.19;all P0.01).There was obviously positive relationship between CBV and MVD(r=0.809,P0.01).Conclusion: CT perfusion imaging can reflect the dynamic changes of the blood in astrocytoma and is valuable in the preoperative grading of astrocytoma.CBV correlates with MVD in CT perfusion imaging and can be used to detect the angiogenesis.