Classification of Two-Site Exchange Models for DCE-MRI

Steven Sourbron¹, David L. Buckley¹

The Tofts models have long been regarded as a standard approach to tracer-kinetic analysis of DCE-MRI, but recent technological advances have improved DCE-MRI data quality to a point where more complex models are required. Several alternatives have been proposed, but analytical solutions are either not available or too complex to offer much physical insight. Here, a generalisation is proposed which offers a transparent way of representing the architecture of existing alternatives, and constructing approximations with any desired accuracy. In addition, it allows modelling of more realistic tissues intermediate between the ideals of a compartment or a plug-flow model.