摘要
PurposeTo investigate the feasibility of tumor blood flow (TBF) measurement in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) in a comparison with dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) perfusion.
Materials and MethodsWe prospectively scanned 18 patients with HNSCC using 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with both pCASL and DCE perfusion. Quantitative TBF value in the whole-tumor region of interest (ROI), and regional TBF in the ROIs of the central and peripheral areas in the tumor were respectively measured. Relative TBF value in the whole-tumor ROI was also calculated. We determined the correlation and agreement between each measured TBF by pCASL and DCE perfusion using Pearson's correlation coefficients, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and Bland-Altman analysis.
ResultsIn the whole-tumor ROIs, significant correlation was observed between the absolute TBF values (r=0.72, P<0.01), with an ICC of 0.72; moreover, higher correlation was observed in the relative TBF (r=0.79). The correlation was higher in the peripheral ROI (r=0.70) than the central ROI (r=0.65), with an ICC of 0.62 and 0.54, respectively. Bland-Altman plots revealed the underestimation of TBF by pCASL in central ROIs.
ConclusionTBF measurement by pCASL was feasible in patients with HNSCC. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;41:983-991. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.