Quantitative Contrast Media Concentration and Proton Density Images

Federico Pineda¹, Marko Ivancevic², Gillian Newstead¹, Hiroyuki Abe¹, Johannes Buurman², Gregory Karczmar¹

Calibration phantoms that can be inserted in a breast coil during a routine DCE-MRI of the breast were developed. These phantoms provide reference signals that can be used to generate quantitative concentration of contrast media and MRI-detectable proton density maps. To date 23 patients have been scanned with these phantoms, peak concentration values suggest a correlation between malignancy and concentration. MRI-detectable proton density may be a novel source of diagnostically useful information. These quantitative images have the potential to provide standardized, quantitative information that is independent of acquisition parameters, which could facilitate comparisons across different scanners and/or institutions.