Ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced mri of the breast using compressed sensing: breast cancer diagnosis based on separate visualization of breast arteries and veins

J Magn Reson Imaging. 2018 Jan;47(1):97-104. doi: 10.1002/jmri.25747. Epub 2017 May 28.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced (UF-DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with compressed sensing (CS) for the separate identification of breast arteries/veins and perform temporal evaluations of breast arteries and veins with a focus on the association with ipsilateral cancers.

Materials and methods: Our Institutional Review Board approved this study with retrospective design. Twenty-five female patients who underwent UF-DCE MRI at 3T were included. UF-DCE MRI consisting of 20 continuous frames was acquired using a prototype 3D gradient-echo volumetric interpolated breath-hold sequence including a CS reconstruction: temporal resolution, 3.65 sec/frame; spatial resolution, 0.9 × 1.3 × 2.5 mm. Two readers analyzed 19 maximum intensity projection images reconstructed from subtracted images, separately identified breast arteries/veins and the earliest frame in which they were respectively visualized, and calculated the time interval between arterial and venous visualization (A-V interval) for each breast.

Results: In total, 49 breasts including 31 lesions (breast cancer, 16; benign lesion, 15) were identified. In 39 of the 49 breasts (breasts with cancers, 16; breasts with benign lesions, 10; breasts with no lesions, 13), both breast arteries and veins were separately identified. The A-V intervals for breasts with cancers were significantly shorter than those for breasts with benign lesions (P = 0.043) and no lesions (P = 0.007).

Conclusion: UF-DCE MRI using CS enables the separate identification of breast arteries/veins. Temporal evaluations calculating the time interval between arterial and venous visualization might be helpful in the differentiation of ipsilateral breast cancers from benign lesions.

Level of evidence: 3 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:97-104.

Keywords: breast MRI; breast arteries; breast cancer; breast veins; compressed sensing; ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Arteries / pathology
  • Breast / blood supply*
  • Breast Neoplasms / blood supply
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Contrast Media / chemistry*
  • Data Compression
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Middle Aged
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Veins / pathology

Substances

  • Contrast Media