Reproducibility of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI Perfusion Parameters on Various Computer Aided Diagnosis Workstations: Taking a Peek Into the Black Box.

Tobias Heye¹, Matthew Davenport², Jeff Horvath¹, Sebastian Feuerlein¹, Steven Breault¹, Mustafa Bashir¹, Elmar M. Merkle¹, Daniel T. Boll¹

Although many factors contributing to overall measurement error have been identified, the effect of commercially available DCE-MRI post-processing solutions on quantitative (Ktrans, kep, ve) and semi-quantitative (iAUGC) pharmacokinetic parameters has yet to be defined. This study assessed the reproducibility of pharmacokinetic parameters between various commercially available post-processing solutions for DCE-MRI (Tissue4D^TM, Siemens, Germany; DynaCAD^TM, Invivo, USA; Aegis^TM, Sentinelle Medical, Canada; CADvue^TM; iCAD, Inc., USA). There is substantial variability (25.1-74.1% coefficient of variation) for DCE-MRI pharmacokinetic parameters across commercially available DCE-MRI post-processing solutions. If DCE-MRI is to succeed as a widely incorporated biomarker, the industry must agree on a post-processing standard.