Direct Reconstruction of Tracer Kinetic Parameter Maps in Abbreviated Breast MRI

Motivation: Quantitative assessment of DCE-MRI data as abbreviated breast MRI data is non-trivial as robust image reconstruction of highly undersampled DCE-MRI data with a short scan time remains challenging, especially to determine an optimal regularization method. Goal(s): This study aims to develop a direct reconstruction of tracer kinetic parameter maps such that the temporal regularization is embedded in the reconstruction process. Approach: The reconstruction method was assessed using numerically generated phantom data and realistic digital reference objects of breast MRI. Results: The results suggest that the tracer kinetic parameter maps from the proposed direct reconstruction could differentiate malignant lesions from benign ones. Impact: This proposed direct reconstruction method aims to streamline the complex image reconstruction and data analysis processes of DCE-MRI and has the potential to make DCE MRI a more efficient, faster, and accessible tool for breast cancer exams.