An independent component analysis approach for minimizing effects of recirculation in dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging

In dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) perfusion-weighted imaging, effects of recirculation are normally minimized by a gamma-variate fitting procedure of the concentration curves before estimating hemodynamic parameters. The success of this method, however, hinges largely on the extent to which magnetic resonance signal is altered in the presence of a contrast agent and a temporal separation between the first and subsequent passages of the contrast agent. Moreover, important physiologic information might be compromised by imposing an analytic equation to all measured concentration curves. This investigation proposes to exploit independent component analysis to minimize effects of recirculation in DSC. Results obtained from simulation, normal healthy volunteers, and acute stroke patients show that such a technique can greatly minimize the effects of recirculation despite a substantial overlap between the first passage and recirculation. This in turn should improve estimation of cerebral hemodynamics particularly when an overlap between the first passage and recirculation is suspected as in an ischemic lesion.