Vascular input function correction of inflow enhancement for improved pharmacokinetic modeling of liver DCE‐MRI

• Published in: Magnetic resonance in medicine Vol. 79; no. 6; pp. 3093 - 3102
• Main Authors: Ning, Jia, Schubert, Tilman, Johnson, Kevin M., Roldán‐Alzate, Alejandro, Chen, Huijun, Yuan, Chun, Reeder, Scott B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.06.2018
• Subjects: Accuracy; Computer simulation; Concentration gradient; dynamic contrast‐enhanced imaging; pharmacokinetic fitting; Embolization; Inflow; inflow enhancement quantification; Liver; Magnetic resonance imaging; Modelling; Perfusion; Pharmacokinetics; Pharmacology; Pigs; Portal vein; Test procedures; vascular input function; inflow enhancement quantification; dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging; pharmacokinetic fitting; vascular input function
• ISSN: 0740-3194; 1522-2594; 1522-2594
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26988

Purpose To propose a simple method to correct vascular input function (VIF) due to inflow effects and to test whether the proposed method can provide more accurate VIFs for improved pharmacokinetic modeling. Methods A spoiled gradient echo sequence‐based inflow quantification and contrast agent concentration correction method was proposed. Simulations were conducted to illustrate improvement in the accuracy of VIF estimation and pharmacokinetic fitting. Animal studies with dynamic contrast‐enhanced MR scans were conducted before, 1 week after, and 2 weeks after portal vein embolization (PVE) was performed in the left portal circulation of pigs. The proposed method was applied to correct the VIFs for model fitting. Pharmacokinetic parameters fitted using corrected and uncorrected VIFs were compared between different lobes and visits. Results Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed method can improve accuracy of VIF estimation and pharmacokinetic fitting. In animal study results, pharmacokinetic fitting using corrected VIFs demonstrated changes in perfusion consistent with changes expected after PVE, whereas the perfusion estimates derived by uncorrected VIFs showed no significant changes. Conclusion The proposed correction method improves accuracy of VIFs and therefore provides more precise pharmacokinetic fitting. This method may be promising in improving the reliability of perfusion quantification. Magn Reson Med 79:3093–3102, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.