Reference-Based CBF Index of Maximum Upslope Without Using Arterial Input Function in Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast MRI: Comparison with Deconvolution Method

Tokunori Kimura¹, Hiroshi Kusahara¹

The purpose was to assess errors in CBF indexes in dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI obtained from our proposed reference-based quantification without using an arterial input function (AIF). By simulation and clinical study, CBF and the referential tissue-related ratio (CBFratio) were compared between methods of maximum upslope (US) and block-circulant SVD deconvolution (cSVD). The errors in the CBFratio obtained using US (Ref-US) compared to cSVD were almost equivalent but smaller in lower CBF. Correlation of clinical CBFratio maps between US and cSVD provided r>0.9. We can conclude that the Ref-US is a valuable index from the viewpoint of balancing robustness against errors and simplicity.