Physiologic measurements by contrast-enhanced MR imaging: Expectations and limitations

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers the opportunity to quantitatively assess physiologic properties of tissue, such as perfusion, blood volume, and capillary permeability. Use of such quantitation potentially allows tissues to be characterized in terms of pathophysiology and to be monitored over time, during the course of therapeutic intervention. The degree to which such quantitation is applicable relies heavily on simplified model descriptions of the tissue space and assumptions relating the signal intensity observed to the contrast agent concentration. This article presents a perspective on the use of quantitative contrast-enhanced MRI, analysis of the accuracy of derived physiologic parameters, and recommendations for pulse sequence choice.