Optimizing MRI scan time in the computation of pharmacokinetic parameters (Ktrans) in breast cancer diagnosis

Purpose: To assess the effects of reduced scan time in dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) of breast for the evaluation of pharmacokinetic parameters (K-trans, v(e), and k(ep)). Materials and Methods: High temporal resolution DCE-MRI was performed for calculation of pharmacokinetic parameters (K-trans, v(e), and k(ep)) at different timepoints using an in-house developed computation scheme adopting the standard model (SM). Results: The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.994 for K-trans at 90 seconds and 0.987 for K-trans at 60 seconds with a significant decrease in the AUC for K-trans at 30 seconds (0.669). While v(e) showed a consistently higher AUC (>0.9) at timepoints 40 seconds, the AUC for k(ep) showed a consistent decline with reduced acquisition times. Conclusion: Reducing the acquisition time for the K-trans and v(e) measurement up to 60 seconds yields reasonable accuracy for both and can be incorporated in the routine DCE-MRI protocol for evaluation of enhancing breast lesions. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:573-579. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.