The effect of temporal sampling on quantitative pharmacokinetic and three-time-point analysis of breast DCE-MRI

The effects of temporal sampling on the previously published three-time-point (3TP) method are compared with those of a Tofts-Kety model using an arterial input function from the alternating minimization with model (AMM) method. Computer simulations are done to estimate the expected error in both the 3TP and Tofts-Kety models as a function of the temporal sampling rate of the data. The error in the 3TP model parameters remained essentially constant with respect to temporal sampling. The Tofts-Kety model showed a linear increase in parameter error with respect to temporal sampling. Both analysis methods were also applied to 87 clinically acquired breast scans. These scans were downsampled in time by a factor of 2 and 4, and the methods were reapplied. The spatial resolution was held constant throughout this study. At temporal resolutions less than 19.4 s, the Tofts-Kety model outperformed the 3TP model using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under the ROC curve [AUC] of 0.94 compared to 0.91). As the temporal sampling rate decreased, the 3TP model outperformed the Tofts-Kety model (AUC of 0.89 versus 0.85). When the temporal sampling rate of the data was less than 20 s, the Tofts-Kety model with the AMM method had lower parameter error than the 3TP method.