On the selection of optimal flip angles for T/sub 1/ mapping of breast tumors with dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

We present a method for selecting optimal flip angles for both precontrast and postcontrast T/sub 1/ mapping of breast tumors using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging; and with the aim of improving accuracy in the estimation of contrast medium concentration. The proposed method can appropriately account for the different ranges of pre-contrast and postcontrast T/sub 1/ values by the use of weighting functions, which also allow the flexibility to enhance the accuracy of certain T/sub 1/ values, corresponding to the tissues of interest. Results of Monte Carlo simulations show that the proposed method could yield significantly lower errors in the estimation of contrast concentration, as compared with an existing approach.