Improved repeatability of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI using the complex MRI signal to derive arterial input functions: a test-retest study in prostate cancer patients.

PURPOSE: The arterial input function (AIF) is a major source of uncertainty in tracer kinetic (TK) analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI data. The aim of this study was to investigate the repeatability of AIFs extracted from the complex signal and of the resulting TK parameters in prostate cancer patients. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer underwent a 3T MRI exam twice. DCE-MRI data were acquired with a 3D spoiled gradient echo sequence. AIFs were extracted from the magnitude of the signal (AIFMAGN ), phase (AIFPHASE ), and complex signal (AIFCOMPLEX ). The Tofts model was applied to extract Ktrans , kep and ve . Repeatability of AIF curve characteristics and TK parameters was assessed with the within-subject coefficient of variation (wCV). RESULTS: The wCV for peak height and full width at half maximum for AIFCOMPLEX (7% and 8%) indicated an improved repeatability compared to AIFMAGN (12% and 12%) and AIFPHASE (12% and 7%). This translated in lower wCV values for Ktrans (11%) with AIFCOMPLEX in comparison to AIFMAGN (24%) and AIFPHASE (15%). For kep , the wCV was 16% with AIFMAGN , 13% with AIFPHASE , and 13% with AIFCOMPLEX . CONCLUSION: Repeatability of AIFPHASE and AIFCOMPLEX is higher than for AIFMAGN , resulting in a better repeatability of TK parameters. Thus, use of either AIFPHASE or AIFCOMPLEX improves the robustness of quantitative analysis of DCE-MRI in prostate cancer.

Impact of contrast agent injection duration on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI quantification in prostate cancer.

The volume transfer constant Ktrans , which describes the leakage of contrast agent (CA) from vasculature into tissue, is the most commonly reported quantitative parameter for dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE-) MRI. However, the variation in reported Ktrans values between studies from different institutes is large. One of the primary sources of uncertainty is quantification of the arterial input function (AIF). The aim of this study is to determine the influence of the CA injection duration on the AIF and tracer kinetic analysis (TKA) parameters (i.e. Ktrans , kep and ve ). Thirty-one patients with prostate cancer received two DCE-MRI examinations with an injection duration of 5 s in the first examination and a prolonged injection duration in the second examination, varying between 7.5 s and 30 s. The DCE examination was carried out on a 3.0 T MRI scanner using a transversal T1 -weighted 3D spoiled gradient echo sequence (300 s duration, dynamic scan time of 2.5 s). Data of 29 of the 31 were further analysed. AIFs were determined from the phase signal in the left and right femoral arteries. Ktrans , kep and ve were estimated with the standard Tofts model for regions of healthy peripheral zone and tumour tissue. We observed a significantly smaller peak height and increased width in the AIF for injection durations of 15 s and longer. However, we did not find significant differences in Ktrans , kep or ve for the studied injection durations. The study demonstrates that the TKA parameters Ktrans , kep and ve , measured in the prostate, do not show a significant change as a function of injection duration.

Muscle Activity during Walking Measured Using 3D MRI Segmentations and [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose in Combination with Positron Emission Tomography.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the contribution of each muscle of the lower limb to walking using positron emission tomography (PET) with [F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Furthermore, we compared our results obtained using volumetric analysis of entire muscles with those obtained using a more traditional approach considering the uptake in only one slice in each segment. METHODS: Ten healthy subjects walked on a treadmill at self-selected comfortable walking speed for 90 min, 60 min before and 30 min after intravenous injection of 50-MBq FDG. A PET/computerized tomography scan of the lower limb was made subsequently. The three-dimensional contours of 39 muscles in the left lower limb were semiautomatically determined from magnetic resonance imaging scans. After nonrigidly registering the magnetic resonance imaging to the computerized tomography scans, we superimposed the muscle contours on the PET scans. RESULTS: The muscles with the highest median FDG uptake among all subjects were the soleus, gluteus maximus, vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius medialis, and adductor magnus. We found a wide range of FDG uptake values among subjects, including in some of the most important muscles involved in walking (e.g., soleus, gluteus medius, gastrocnemius medialis). Compared with the volumetric analysis, the single slice analysis did not yield an accurate estimate of the FDG uptake in many of the most active muscles, including the gluteus medius and minimus (overestimated) as well as all the thigh muscles (underestimated). CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of FDG among the muscles varied between subjects, suggesting that each subject had a unique activation pattern. The FDG uptake as estimated from single slices did not correspond well to the uptake obtained from volumetric analysis, which illustrates the added value of our novel three-dimensional image analysis techniques.