VASCULARITY ASSESSMENT OF BREAST LESIONS WITH GADOLINIUM-ENHANCED MR IMAGING

Gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging techniques can be used to assess both breast tumor morphology and vascularity. Pharmacokinetic models can be used to extract physiological parameters related to tumor vascularity from signal intensity-time curves. This article describes an empirical method, using three-point high resolution MR imaging, that also provides assessment of tumor vascularity. These techniques appear to improve diagnostic specificity of breast MR imaging and provide a noninvasive method for tumor characterization that may have prognostic value.