Optimizing MRI scan time in the computation of pharmacokinetic parameters (K(trans) ) in breast cancer diagnosis.

Purpose: To assess the effects of reduced scan time in dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) of breast for the evaluation of pharmacokinetic parameters (K(trans) , ve , and kep ).

Materials And Methods: High temporal resolution DCE-MRI was performed for calculation of pharmacokinetic parameters (K(trans) , ve , and kep ) at different timepoints using an in-house developed computation scheme adopting the standard model (SM).

Results: The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.994 for K(trans) at 90 seconds and 0.987 for K(trans) at 60 seconds with a significant decrease in the AUC for K(trans) at 30 seconds (0.669). While ve showed a consistently higher AUC (>0.9) at timepoints ≥40 seconds, the AUC for kep showed a consistent decline with reduced acquisition times.

Conclusion: Reducing the acquisition time for the K(trans) and ve measurement up to 60 seconds yields reasonable accuracy for both and can be incorporated in the routine DCE-MRI protocol for evaluation of enhancing breast lesions.