Impact of the arterial input function on microvascularization parameter measurements using dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasonography.

Aim: To evaluate the sources of variation influencing the microvascularization parameters measured by dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (DCE-US).

Methods: Firstly, we evaluated, in vitro, the impact of the manual repositioning of the ultrasound probe and the variations in flow rates. Experiments were conducted using a custom-made phantom setup simulating a tumor and its associated arterial input.

Assessment of quantitative perfusion parameters by dynamic contrast-enhanced sonography using a deconvolution method: an in vitro and in vivo study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the arterial input on perfusion parameters measured using dynamic contrast-enhanced sonography combined with a deconvolution method after bolus injections of a contrast agent.

Methods: The in vitro experiments were conducted using a custom-made setup consisting of pumping a fluid through a phantom made of 3 intertwined silicone pipes, mimicking a complex structure akin to that of vessels in a tumor, combined with their feeding pipe, mimicking the arterial input. In the in vivo experiments, B16F10 melanoma cells were xenografted to 5 nude mice.