Abstract #2766

Comparison of different population-averaged arterial-input-functions in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the prostate: effects on pharmacokinetic parameters and their diagnostic performance

Ahmed Othman¹, Florian Falkner¹, Petros Martirosian¹, Jakob Weiss¹, Stephan Kruck², Robert Grimm³, Konstantin Nikolaou¹, and Mike Notohamiprodjo¹

¹Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany, ²Department of Urology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany, ³Siemens Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany

The Choice of arterial input function (AIF) is a potential source of variability in DCE-MRI studies. In clinical practice, it’s not always possible to estimate individual AIFs due to artifacts or difficulties in vessel detection, particularly in transversal slices, which are typically acquired for prostate MRI. Therefore, population averaged AIFs (pAIFs) are often used. In the present study we assessed the effect of different pAIFs on parameter estimates in DCE-MRI of the prostate. We found that choosing various pAIF types causes high variability in pharmacokinetic parameter estimates. Therefore, it is important to keep AIF type selection constant in DCE-MRI studies.

This abstract and the presentation materials are available to members only; a login is required.

Join Here