title: Patient characteristics influencing the variability of distributed parameter-based models in DCE-CT kinetic analysis.
abstract: Kinetic parameter variability may be sensitive to kinetic model choice, kinetic model implementation or patient-specific effects. The purpose of this study was to assess their impact on the variability of dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT) kinetic parameters. A total of 11 canine patients with sinonasal tumours received high signal-to-noise ratio, test-double retest DCE-CT scans. The variability for three distributed parameter (DP)-based models was assessed by analysis of variance. Mixed-effects modelling evaluated patient-specific effects. Inter-model variability (CVinter) was comparable to or lower than intra-model variability (CVintra) for blood flow (CVinter:[4-28%], CVintra:[28-31%]), fractional vascular volume (CVinter:[3-17%], CVintra:[16-19%]) and permeability-surface area product (CVinter:[5-12%], CVintra:[14-15%]). The kinetic models were significantly (P<0.05) impacted by patient characteristics for patient size, area underneath the curve of the artery and of the tumour. In conclusion, DP-based models demonstrated good agreement with similar differences between models and scans. However, high variability in the kinetic parameters and their sensitivity to patient size may limit certain quantitative applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: La Fontaine
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: McDaniel
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: L N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Kubicek
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Chappell
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Forrest
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jeraj
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003287:Contrast Media; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004285:Dogs; D007700:Kinetics; D010255:Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media
keywords: DCE-CT; canine; kinetic analysis; perfusion