Fluoro-D-glucose-micro positron emission tomography as a diagnostic tool to confirm brain death in a murine donor lung injury model

Abstract Purpose Because brain death (BD)-related donor lung injury is still poorly understood, a reliable mouse model can help in understanding the immunologic mechanisms behind this lung injury. The purpose of our study was to validate BD in mice using small-animal positron emission tomography. Procedures BD was induced in male Balb/c mice (27.1 ± 0.9 g) with an intracranial balloon catheter inflated rapidly ( R or gradually (36 ± 5 min) [BD] G , and compared with sham-operated [SH] and control animals [C] ( n = 6/group). Ten minutes after balloon insertion 10.4 ± 1.0 MBq 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]-fluoro-D-glucose ( 18 FDG) was administered intravenously and static images were performed and quantified. Results Coronal, sagittal, and transaxial sections of cerebral 18 FDG activity revealed significant differences when comparing [BD] R and [BD] G with [C] and [SH] animals. No significant 18 FDG uptake was visually detectable in [BD] R and [BD] G . The percentage injected dose showed significant differences between BD groups and [C] and [SH] ( P versus [SH] nor between [BD] R versus [BD] G ( P > 0.05). Conclusions 18 FDG micro positron emission tomography imaging is a valuable tool to demonstrate brain functionality and can therefore be used as a surrogate test to confirm BD in mice.