Abstract

Dynamic contrast enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a promising method for quantitative analysis of tumor perfusion and is increasingly used in study of cancer in small animal models. In those studies the determination of the arterial input function (AIF) of the target tissue can be the first step. Series of short-axis images of the heart were acquired during administration of a bolus of Gd-DTPA using saturation-recovery gradient echo pulse sequences. The AIF was determined from the changes of the signal intensity in the left ventricle. The native T1 relaxation times and AIF were determined for 11 mice. An average value of (1.16+/-0.09) s for the native T1 relaxation time was measured. However, the AIF showed significant inter animal variability, as previously observed by other authors. The inter-animal variability shows, that a direct measurement of the AIF is reasonable to avoid significant errors. The proposed method for determination of the AIF proved to be reliable.