Estimating the arterial input function from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI data with compensation for flow enhancement (II)

Estimating the arterial input function from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI data with compensation for flow enhancement (II): Applications in spine diagnostics and assessment of crohn's disease

van Schie, J.J.N. (TU Delft ImPhys/Quantitative Imaging)
Lavini, Cristina (Universiteit van Amsterdam)
van Vliet, L.J. (TU Delft ImPhys/Quantitative Imaging)
Kramer, Gem (Amsterdam UMC)
Pieters - van den Bos, Indra (Amsterdam UMC)
Marcus, H.J.J. (Amsterdam UMC)
Stoker, Jaap (Universiteit van Amsterdam)
Vos, F.M. (TU Delft ImPhys/Quantitative Imaging; Universiteit van Amsterdam)

2018

Background: Pharmacokinetic (PK) models can describe microvascular density and integrity. An essential component of PK models is the arterial input function (AIF) representing the time-dependent concentration of contrast agent (CA) in the blood plasma supplied to a tissue. Purpose/Hypothesis: To evaluate a novel method for subject-specific AIF estimation that takes inflow effects into account. Study Type: Retrospective study. Subjects: Thirteen clinical patients referred for spine-related complaints; 21 patients from a study into luminal Crohn's disease with known Crohn's Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity (CDEIS). Field Strength/Sequence: Dynamic fast spoiled gradient echo (FSPGR) at 3T. Assessment: A population-averaged AIF, AIFs derived from distally placed regions of interest (ROIs), and the new AIF method were applied. Tofts' PK model parameters (including v_p and K^trans) obtained with the three AIFs were compared. In the Crohn's patients K^trans was correlated to CDEIS. Statistical Tests: The median values of the PK model parameters from the three methods were compared using a Mann–Whitney U-test. The associated variances were statistically assessed by the Brown-Forsythe test. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was computed to test the correlation of K^trans to CDEIS. Results: The median v_p was significantly larger when using the distal ROI approach, compared to the two other methods (P < 0.05 for both comparisons, in both applications). Also, the variances in v_p were significantly larger with the ROI approach (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). In the Crohn's disease study, the estimated K^trans parameter correlated better with the CDEIS (r = 0.733, P < 0.001) when the proposed AIF was used, compared to AIFs from the distal ROI method (r = 0.429, P = 0.067) or the population-averaged AIF (r = 0.567, P = 0.011). Data Conclusion: The proposed method yielded realistic PK model parameters and improved the correlation of the K^trans parameter with CDEIS, compared to existing approaches. Level of Evidence: 3. Technical Efficacy Stage 1. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1197–1204.

arterial input function
dynamic contrast enhanced MRI
flow enhancement
pharmacokinetic modeling

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:48da3ed0-cafb-4bef-833c-37e46e7c2463

https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.25905

2018-05-28

1053-1807

Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 47 (5), 1197-1204

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2018 J.J.N. van Schie, Cristina Lavini, L.J. van Vliet, Gem Kramer, Indra Pieters - van den Bos, H.J.J. Marcus, Jaap Stoker, F.M. Vos