Pharmacokinetic analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MR breast images

DCE-MR breast imaging is becoming an important modality as a problem-solving tool and in screening of high-risk patients. In DCE-MR a T1-weighted time series is recorded during the uptake of a contrast agent (CA: Gd-DTPA) that enables the assessment of voxel-specific dynamic tissue properties. Tumor malignancy often goes hand in hand with high vascularity and high vessel wall permeability because of angiogenesis; i.e. a large number of new vessels is formed at such a rate that their walls are not properly constructed and therefore highly permeable. These ‘malignant’ tissue characteristics affect the shape of the CA-uptake curve. The goal is to investigate the use of a pharmacokinetic two-compartment model (extended Kety [1]) in the context of dynamic analysis of CA-uptake curves as a contribution to automatic detection and characterization of breast cancer.

@InProceedings { HBTVGH07,
  author       = "Heisen, M. and Buurman, J. and Twellmann, T. and Vilanova, Anna and Gerritsen, F.A. and Haar Romeny, B.M. ter",
  title        = "Pharmacokinetic analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MR breast images",
  booktitle    = "Proceedings of the First Dutch Conference on Bio-Medical Engineering (BME 2007) 18-19 January 2007, Egmond aan
                  zee, The Netherlands",
  pages        = "82--82",
  year         = "2007",
  note         = "BME 2007, Egmond aan zee, The Netherlands",
  url          = "http://graphics.tudelft.nl/Publications-new/2007/HBTVGH07"
}