Assessment of Dynamic Range in Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Breast Examinations

Araminta E. W. Ledger¹, Marco Borri¹, Maria Schmidt¹, Romney Pope², Erica Scurr¹, Toni Wallace¹, Cheryl Richardson², Marianne Usher², Steven Allen², Nandita deSouza¹, Martin O. Leach¹

The classification of enhancement curves in dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) breast examinations requires image intensity approximately proportional to contrast agent concentration. We propose to evaluate the dynamic range in breast DCE retrospectively, by considering the enhancement of the internal mammary artery. This method was validated by comparing clinical examinations obtained with five different protocols (flip angles 10, 14 and 18, radial or linear k-space sampling). Significant differences were found between groups of 7-10 patients, in agreement with expected behaviour (greater dynamic range at higher flip angles, reduction in dynamic range for radial sampling protocols). Retrospective assessment is therefore a viable approach.