title: The use of dynamic tracer concentration in veins for quantitative DCE-MRI kinetic analysis in head and neck.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Head and neck Magnetic Resonance (MR) Images are vulnerable to the arterial blood in-flow effect. To compensate for this effect and enhance accuracy and reproducibility, dynamic tracer concentration in veins was proposed and investigated for quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI analysis in head and neck.
  
  
  METHODS
  21 patients with head and neck tumors underwent DCE-MRI at 3T. An automated method was developed for blood vessel selection and separation. Dynamic concentration-time-curves (CTCs) in arteries and veins were used for the Tofts model parameter estimations. The estimation differences by using CTCs in arteries and veins were compared. Artery and vein voxels were accurately separated by the automated method. Remarkable inter-slice tracer concentration differences were found in arteries while the inter-slice concentration differences in veins were moderate. Tofts model fitting by using the CTCs in arteries and veins produced significantly different parameter estimations. The individual artery CTCs resulted in large (>50% generally) inter-slice parameter estimation variations. Better inter-slice consistency was achieved by using the vein CTCs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of vein CTCs helps to compensate for arterial in-flow effect and reduce kinetic parameter estimation error and inconsistency for head and neck DCE-MRI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China. jyuanbwh@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Steven Kwok Keung
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Qinwei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: David Ka Wai
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.forename: Anil T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Ahuja
authors.forename: Ann D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D014680:Veins / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media