Rapid‐Steady‐State‐T1 signal modeling during contrast agent extravasation: Toward tumor blood volume quantification without requiring the arterial input function

Purpose This study demonstrates how to quantify the tumor blood volume fraction (BVf) using the dynamic Rapid-Steady-State-T1 (RSST1)-MRI method despite contrast agent (CA) leakage and without arterial input function (AIF) determination. Methods For vasculature impermeable to CAs, the BVf is directly quantified from the RSST1 signal amplitude. In case of CA extravasation, we propose a two-compartment model to describe the dynamic RSST1 signal increase. We applied the mathematical model in a pilot-study on a RG2-glioma model to compare extravasation of two Gd-based CAs. The BVf quantification using the mathematical model in a C6-glioma model (n = 8) with the clinical CA Gd-DOTA was validated using a ΔR2*-steady-state MRI method with an USPIO and by immunohistochemical staining of perfused vessels labeled with Hoechst-33342 dye in the same rats. Results BVf in tumor and in healthy brain tissues (0.034 ± 0.005 and 0.026 ± 0.004, respectively) derived from the dynamic RSST1 signal were confirmed by ΔR2*-steady-state MRI (0.036 ± 0.003 and 0.027 ± 0.002, respectively, correlation coefficient rS = 0.74) and by histology (0.036 ± 0.003 and 0.025 ± 0.004 respectively, rS = 0.87). Conclusion Straightforward tumor BVf quantification without AIF determination is demonstrated in presence of CA leakage. The method will facilitate angiogenesis assessment in longitudinal neuro-oncologic studies in particular when monitoring the response to antiangiogenic therapies. Magn Reson Med 73:1005–1014, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.