Evaluating Breast Lesions with Ultrafast DCE-MRI: The Impact of Temporal Resolution on Pharmacokinetics

Motivation: Ultrafast DCE (UF-DCE) MRI can improve the detection of breast cancer. The influence of temporal resolution in determining pharmacokinetic parameters using UF-DCE technique remains unclear. Goal(s): This study aimed to evaluate the impact of temporal resolution on pharmacokinetic parameters and the performance in diagnosing breast cancer. Approach: The UF-DCE data with a native temporal resolution of 4.5 seconds were downsampled at various temporal resolutions ranging from 9.0 to 58.5 seconds. Results: As temporal resolution decreased from 4.5 seconds, Ktrans and kep values increased, while ve values decreased. Impact: This study advances breast cancer diagnosis by validating the impact of temporal resolution on pharmacokinetic parameters, promoting broader adaptations to enhance accuracy in quantitative pharmacokinetic assessment for cancer diagnosis and prognosis across institutions and imaging modalities.