Tracer kinetic modelling in MRI: estimating perfusion and capillary permeability

The tracer-kinetic models developed in the early 1990s for dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) have since become a standard in numerous applications. At the same time, the development of MRI hardware has led to increases in image quality and temporal resolution that reveal the limitations of the early models. This in turn has stimulated an interest in the development and application of a second generation of modelling approaches. They are designed to overcome these limitations and produce additional and more accurate information on tissue status. In particular, models of the second generation enable separate estimates of perfusion and capillary permeability rather than a single parameter K(trans) that represents a combination of the two. A variety of such models has been proposed in the literature, and development in the field has been constrained by a lack of transparency regarding terminology, notations and physiological assumptions. In this review, we provide an overview of these models in a manner that is both physically intuitive and mathematically rigourous. All are derived from common first principles, using concepts and notations from general tracer-kinetic theory. Explicit links to their historical origins are included to allow for a transfer of experience obtained in other fields (PET, SPECT, CT). A classification is presented that reveals the links between all models, and with the models of the first generation. Detailed formulae for all solutions are provided to facilitate implementation. Our aim is to encourage the application of these tools to DCE-MRI by offering researchers a clearer understanding of their assumptions and requirements.