Reproducibility and reliability of pancreatic pharmacokinetic parameters derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Pharmacokinetics

Background:

• Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) is established for tissue evaluation but its pancreatic application is uncertain.
• The extended Tofts linear (ETL) model is used for pharmacokinetic analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine normal pancreatic pharmacokinetics using DCE-MRI with the ETL model.
• To establish a reference for future pancreatic disease studies.

Main Methods:

• 54 volunteers underwent DCE-MRI with the ETL model to calculate pancreatic pharmacokinetic parameters.
• Intra- and inter-observer reliability was assessed using ICC and CoV.
• Subgroup analyses were performed based on pancreatic region, age, and sex.

Main Results:

• Excellent intra- and inter-observer agreement and low variability were found for pancreatic DCE-MRI parameters (Ktrans, kep, ve, vp).
• Older individuals showed higher pancreatic ve compared to younger groups (P<0.05).
• The pancreatic head exhibited higher vp than the body and tail (P<0.05).

Conclusions:

• DCE-MRI with the ETL model offers a reliable, robust, and reproducible method for non-invasive pancreatic pharmacokinetic quantification.
• This technique serves as a valuable tool for evaluating pancreatic tissue and potential diseases.