Correcting partial volume artifacts of the arterial input function in quantitative cerebral perfusion MRI

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Neuroimaging
• Biophysics

Background:

• Cerebral perfusion quantification using dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) requires accurate arterial input function (AIF) measurement.
• Conventional DSC-MRI methods assume signals originate solely from blood, neglecting partial volume effects.
• Partial volume artifacts arise from the compromise between temporal and spatial resolution in DSC-MRI acquisitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a method for correcting partial volume artifacts in DSC-MRI.
• To improve the accuracy of AIF estimation by accounting for background tissue contributions.
• To enhance cerebral perfusion quantification in clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the complex signal trajectory (amplitude and phase) of contrast agents in DSC-MRI.
• Optimizing the correspondence between amplitude and phase information to estimate the spiral origin.
• Correcting for partial volume artifacts by accounting for static tissue contributions.

Main Results:

• The proposed method accurately corrects for partial volume artifacts, particularly at low spatial resolutions.
• Phantom data demonstrated the accuracy of the correction method.
• Clinical application showed improved AIF determination compared to conventional methods.

Conclusions:

• Optimizing signal correspondence effectively corrects partial volume artifacts in DSC-MRI.
• Accurate AIF determination is crucial for reliable cerebral perfusion quantification.
• This technique enhances the diagnostic value of DSC-MRI in clinical neuroimaging.