Accurate Brain Tumor Blood Volume Estimation using DCE-MRI with Bookend T1 Measurements & Phase-Derived AIFs

Greg O. Cron¹, Claire Foottit¹, Jean Francois Mercier¹, Rebecca Thornhill¹, Viviane Thanh-Van Nguyen², Ian Cameron¹, Mark E. Schweitzer¹, J. J. Shankar¹, John Sinclair¹, John Woulfe¹, Matthew J. Hogan³, Thanh B. Nguyen¹

For quantitative DCE-MRI of human brain tumors, there is no single, widely implemented data acquisition protocol. This lack of standardization makes it difficult to compare different studies, especially between institutions. We propose standardizing the data acquired with any DCE pulse sequence by saving phase data during DCE and by performing Bookend T1 measurements before and after DCE. The phase and bookends enable reliable estimation of the AIF and tissue function, both in terms of absolute concentrations. Initial evaluation has shown that DCE-MRI tumor blood volume values are consistent with equivalent CT perfusion estimates, thus supporting the strategy.