Michael Germuska1, James A. d'Arcy1, Keiko Miyazaki1, Matthew R. Orton1, Geoffrey S. Payne1, Martin O. Leach1, David J. Collins1
1CRUK Clinical Magnetic Resonance Group, Institute of Cancer Research & Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, Surrey, UK
Modelling pharmacokinetic behaviour with DCE-MRI experiments requires precise and accurate T1 estimates. Any short-term instability of the dynamic data would adversely affect T1 estimates and the resulting pharmacokinetic model accuracy. Phantom experiments were performed to assess the accuracy and short-term stability of a number of sequences. We found that changes in acquisition parameters had a significant effect on the short-term stability of dynamic data. In particular, we observed a significant initial signal drift for certain gradient echo sequences. We feel it is essential to perform this level of quality assurance in order to have the required confidence in DCE-MRI data.