DCE MRI Pixel-By-Pixel Quantitive Curve Pattern Analysis (CPA)

Junyu Guo¹, Wilburn E. Reddick¹

A novel Curve Pattern Analysis (CPA) method is presented for DCE-MRI data processing. The CPA method characterizes and quantifies the DCE-MRI signal curves without prerequisites such as AIF and T1 measurement. The simulations show that the CPA parameters are stable and approximately insensitive to the baseline T1 value, TR and flip angle. In vivo study shows that the CPA parameter &[kappa] is very sensitive to the curve pattern and well correlated with the kinetic parameter kep. This method therefore could have a higher repeatability by eliminating effects from some variation factors, e.g. AIF and T1.