Role of Arterial Spin Labelling Magnetic Resonance Prefusion in Grading of Pediatric Brain Tumors

February 20, 2026 updated by: Monica Sobhy Khalaf Boles, Assiut University

Role of Arterial Spin Labelling Magnetic Resonance Perfusion in The Grading of Pediatric Brain Tumors

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of arterial spin labelling (ASL) magnetic resonance perfusion in preoperative grading of pediatric brain tumors.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

Pediatric brain tumors are one of the most common malignancies in children and represent a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Accurate preoperative tumor grading plays a pivotal role in determining treatment strategies, surgical planning, prognosis and long-term follow-up. Histopathological grading remains the reference standard; however, non-invasive imaging capable of predicting tumor grade preoperatively are increasingly sought to optimize patient management.

Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides excellent anatomical resolution and lesion localization; nevertheless, substantial overlap persists in morphological imaging features between low-grade and high-grade pediatric brain tumors. In children, contrast enhancement does not correlate with tumor grade, unlike the way it does in adults. Diffusion parameters overlap between benign and aggressive lesions as well, limiting the accuracy of conventional MRI in reliable tumor grading when used alone.

Advanced MRI techniques, particularly perfusion imaging, have emerged as valuable adjuncts for tumor characterization by evaluating tumor vascularity and microcirculation. Arterial spin labelling (ASL) is a non-contrast perfusion MRI technique that quantifies cerebral blood flow (CBF) using magnetically labeled arterial blood water as an endogenous tracer. This technique is especially advantageous in the pediatric population, as it eliminates exposure to gadolinium-based contrast agents and avoids ionizing radiation, aligning with current safety recommendations in children.

High-grade pediatric brain tumors typically demonstrate increased angiogenesis, microvascular proliferation and elevated perfusion compared with low-grade tumors. Recent studies have shown that ASL-derived perfusion parameters correlate with tumor grade and histopathological aggressiveness in pediatric brain tumors.

Despite growing evidence supporting its diagnostic value, arterial spin labelling (ASL) remains underutilized in routine clinical practice for pediatric brain tumor grading. Further prospective studies are required to validate its diagnostic performance and establish its role as a reliable non-invasive imaging biomarker.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

20

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

pediatric patients with radiological diagnosis of brain tumors

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Pediatric patients aged 18 years or younger.
  2. Patients with radiological diagnosis of intracranial brain tumors.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients who have received prior surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy for brain tumors.
  2. Patients with contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
low grade pediatric brain tumors
high grade pediatric brain tumors

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Evaluate the diagnostic value of arterial spin labelling (ASL) magnetic resonance perfusion in pre-operative grading of pediatric brain tumors
Time Frame: preoperative
arterial spin labelling (ASL) derived cerebral blood flow values and their correlation with histopathological tumor grade (low grade versus high grade pediatric brain tumor)
preoperative

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Assiut University

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Mostafa Elsharkawy, Professor, Assiut University Hospitals
  • Study Director: Radwa Kamel, associate professor, Assiut University Hospitals
  • Study Director: Hamdy Ibrahim, Assiut University Hospitals

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

March 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 20, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 20, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ASLMRI

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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