Synthesizing a contrast-enhancement map in patients with high-grade gliomas based on a postcontrast MR imaging quantification only

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Administration of a gadolinium-based contrast agent is an important diagnostic biomarker for blood-brain barrier damage. In clinical use, detection is based on subjective comparison of native and postgadolinium-based contrast agent T1-weighted images. Quantitative MR imaging studies have suggested a relation between the longitudinal relaxation rate and proton-density in the brain parenchyma, which is disturbed by gadolinium-based contrast agents. This discrepancy can be used to synthesize a contrast-enhancement map based solely on the postgadolinium-based contrast agent acquisition. The aim of this study was to compare synthetic enhancement maps with subtraction maps of native and postgadolinium-based contrast agent images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For 14 patients with high-grade gliomas, quantitative MR imaging was performed before and after gadolinium-based contrast agent administration. The quantification sequence was multidynamic and multiecho, with a scan time of 6 minutes. The 2 image stacks were coregistered using in-plane transformation. The longitudinal relaxation maps were subtracted and correlated with the synthetic longitudinal relaxation enhancement maps on the basis of the postgadolinium-based contrast agent images only. ROIs were drawn for tumor delineation. RESULTS: Linear regression of the subtraction and synthetic longitudinal relaxation enhancement maps showed a slope of 1.02 0.19 and an intercept of 0.05 0.12. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.861 0.059, and the coefficient of variation was 0.18 0.04. On average, a volume of 1.71 1.28 mL of low-intensity enhancement was detected in the synthetic enhancement maps outside the borders of the drawn ROI. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that there was a good correlation between subtraction longitudinal relaxation enhancement maps and synthetic longitudinal relaxation enhancement maps in patients with high-grade gliomas. The method may improve the sensitivity and objectivity for the detection of gadolinium-based contrast agent enhancement.