David John Manton1, Martin D. Pickles1,
Martin Lowry1, Lindsay W. Turnbull1
1YCR Centre for MR Investigations,
Hull-York Medical School, Hull, East Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Dynamic,
contrast-enhanced MRI was carried out with a temporal resolution of
approximately 30 s. When a simple,
two-compartment pharmacokinetic model without a significant signal
contribution from blood plasma (SSCP) was utilised, the quality of fit was
poor in breast tumours demonstrating extremely rapid contrast wash-out. More sophisticated models were then
investigated with the best performance being achieved by a Tofts-Kermode-Kety
model with an SSCP as modelled by a bi-exponential fit to the latter part of
the Parker population arterial input function (i.e. ignoring early bolus
peaks and assuming instantaneous mixing).
This model also yielded parameters which are more physiologically
realistic.