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 , v e , and k ep ). Materials and Methods: High temporal resolution DCE‐MRI was performed for calculation of pharmacokinetic parameters (K trans , v e , and k ep ) 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 v e showed a consistently higher AUC (>0.9) at timepoints ≥40 seconds, the AUC for k ep showed a consistent decline with reduced acquisition times. Conclusion: Reducing the acquisition time for the K trans and v e 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. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:573–579. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.