A functional form for a representative individual arterial input function measured from a population using high temporal resolution DCE MRI. Issue 3 (26th September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Georgiou, Leonidas; Wilson, Daniel J.; Sharma, Nisha; Perren, Timothy J.; Buckley, David L.
• Is Part Of: Magnetic resonance in medicine. Volume 81:Issue 3(2019)
• Page Start: 1955
• Page End: 1963
• Publication Date: 2018-09-26
• Subjects: arterial input function -- breast cancer -- cardiac output -- DCE‐MRI -- high temporal resolution -- reproducibility; Nuclear magnetic resonance -- Periodicals; Electron paramagnetic resonance -- Periodicals; 616.07548
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.27524
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0740-3194

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: To measure the arterial input function (AIF), an essential component of tracer kinetic analysis, in a population of patients using an optimized dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE) imaging sequence and to estimate inter‐ and intrapatient variability. From these data, a representative AIF that may be used for realistic simulation studies can be extracted. Methods: Thirty‐nine female patients were imaged on multiple visits before and during a course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. A total of 97 T1 ‐weighted DCE studies were analyzed including bookend estimates of T1 and model‐fitting to each individual AIF. Area under the curve and cardiac output were estimated from each first pass peak, and these data were used to assess inter‐ and intrapatient variability of the AIF. Results: Interpatient variability exceeded intrapatient variability of the AIF. There was no change in cardiac output as a function of MR visit (mean value 5.6 ± 1.1 L/min) but baseline blood T1 increased significantly following the start of chemotherapy (which was accompanied by a decrease in hematocrit). Conclusion: The AIF in an individual patient can be measured reproducibly but the variability of AIFs between patients suggests that use of a population AIF will decrease the precision of tracer kinetic analysis performed in cross‐patient comparison studies. A representative AIF is presented that is typical of the population but retains the characteristics of an individually measured AIF.