Alexander Yowei Sheu1, Dingxin Wang1,
Johnathan Chung2, Robert K. Ryu2, Reed A. Omary1,3,
Debiao Li1, Andrew C. Larson1,3
1Departments of Radiology and
Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States; 2Department
of Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States; 3Robert
H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL,
United States
Quantitative
DCE-MRI can be used to measure pharmacokinetic parameters (Ktrans, ve, and
vp) that indicate tumor angiogenesis and perfusion. The purpose of this study
was to develop an innovative hybrid reference tissue calibrated dual-bolus 3D
quantitative DCE-MRI method. Tissue contrast enhancement was quantified using
3D GRE DCE-MRI during first-bolus, AIF was monitored using 2D SR GRE DCE-MRI
during second-bolus, and reference tissue (back muscle) was used to provide
the final calibration. Our results support the use of quantitative DCE-MRI to
differentiate hypervascular tumor tissue from the necrotic core, providing
valuable diagnostic information about the stage and segmentation of a tumor.