Abstract #2494

The Effects of Parameter Assignment Variation Using a Reference Region Model on Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI)

Mary E. Loveless^1,2, Anthony Z. Faranesh³, John C. Gore^1,2, Thomas E. Yankeelov^1,2

¹Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; ²Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; ³Translational Medicine Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NIH), Bethesda, MA, USA

This study interrogates error propagation in reference region models used in DCE-MRI by examining the variation in reference region parameter assignment. Differences in these required a priori values can lead to errors in estimated target-of-interest parameters. Simulations found that initial reference region parameters, including the vascular term, can vary by ~ 38% and still achieve <25% target parameter error. Experiments are currently ongoing to test this hypothesis.