Amide proton transfer weighted contrast has diagnostic capacity in detecting diabetic foot: an MRI-based case–control study

Objective To evaluate the role of foot muscle amide proton transfer weighted (APTw) contrast and tissue rest perfusion in quantifying diabetic foot (DF) infection and its correlation with blood parameters. Materials and methods With approval from an ethical review board, this study included 40 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with DF and 31 DM patients without DF or other lower extremity arterial disease. All subjects underwent MRI, which included foot sagittal APTw and coronal arterial spin labeling (ASL) imaging. The normalized MTRasym (3.5 ppm) and the ratio of blood flow (rBF) in rest status of the affected side lesions to the non-affected contralateral side were determined. The inter-group differences of these variables were evaluated. Furthermore, the association between normalized MTRasym (3.5 ppm), rBF, and blood parameters [fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin content, C-reactive protein, neutrophil percentage, and white blood cell count] was explored. Using an ROC curve, the diagnostic capacity of normalized MTRasym (3.5 ppm), BF, and blood biochemical markers in differentiating with or without DF in DM was assessed. Results In the DF group, MTRasym (3.5 ppm) and BF in lesion and normalized MTRasym (3.5 ppm) were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, correlations were identified between normalized MTRasym (3.5 ppm) and blood parameters, such as C-reactive protein, glycosylated hemoglobin content, FBG, neutrophil ratio, and white blood cell (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, association between BF in lesion and blood parameters, such as C-reactive protein, neutrophil percentage, and FBG (p < 0.01). AUC of normalized MTRasym (3.5 ppm) in identifying with/without DF in patients with DM is 0.986 (95% CI, 0.918–1.00) with the sensitivity of 97.22% and the specificity of 100%. Conclusion Normalized MTRasym (3.5 ppm) and the BF in lesion may be treated as a safer and more convenient new indicator to evaluate the tissue infection without using a contrast agent, which may be useful in monitoring and preoperatively assessing DF patients with renal insufficiency.