TF6.2 — DCE/DSC Challenge¶

Task Force 6.2 compares quantification pipelines for DSC/DCE-MRI in clinical applications and establishes benchmarks for perfusion imaging.

The aim of this task force is to compare quantification pipelines for DSC/DCE-MRI in clinical applications. Through these challenges, the performance of DSC-/DCE-MRI perfusion analysis tools developed in-house by participating groups, or the available software packages, are tested and evaluated according to technical performance metrics (e.g. bias and precision on DROs, agreement with reference methods in-vivo, reproducibility on in-vivo data, processing time). The aim is to establish a set of benchmarks for perfusion imaging in different applications.

The first challenge by this task force focused on benchmarking DCE software in the context of brain tumour. For 2026 - 2027, the challenge will aim to benchmark softwares for the measurement of very low-level contrast agent leakage using DCE-MRI, such that might be expected in normal appearing brain tissue.

First DCE challenge

This repository contains all the documentation and datasets provided for the first ISMRM-OSIPI DCE Challenge.

📘 Go to the first challenge

Second DCE challenge

Work-in-progress: topic will be measuring low-level contrast agent leakage with DCE-MRI. Coming soon.

Leads¶

Olivia Jones

Past Leads¶

Ongoing projects¶

The use of DCE-MRI to assess very subtle blood-brain barrier leakage in aging and neurological disease is increasingly popular, however the translation from unstandardised measurements used exclusively in specific research settings, to robust biomarkers for use in large multi-centre studies, clinical trials, and clinical practise, is impeded by numerous technical challenges. Low levels of contrast agent leakage result in data with very low signal-to-noise; measurement accuracy is impeded by signal drift over long scans; effect sizes are small, and with high noise levels it can be challenging to adequately power studies. The aim of the second OSIPI DCE-MRI Challenge 2026 - 2027 will be to benchmark data analysis softwares for the estimation of low level BBB leakage from DCE-MRI data. Challengers will be asked to estimate K^trans in simulated and clinical data test-retest data, to assess the accuracy, precision, and reproducibility of challenge submissions, and to identify sources of uncertainty within these pipelines.

The task force is currently working on the design of the simulated dataset, as well as collecting test-retest data in a small group of adults aged 50+ with at least one vascular risk factor, where measurements of subtle BBB dysfunction are of particular interest and are very challenging to measure.

More details are available in the two-year roadmap.

Publications¶

ISMRM abstract 2021 — cds.ismrm.org/protected/21MProceedings/PDFfiles/1094.html
ISMRM abstract 2022 — cds.ismrm.org/protected/22MProceedings/PDFfiles/0047.html
Shalom ES, Kim H, van der Heijden RA, Ahmed Z, Patel R, Hormuth DA 2^nd, DiCarlo JC, Yankeelov TE, Sisco NJ, Dortch RD, Stokes AM, Inglese M, Grech-Sollars M, Toschi N, Sahoo P, Singh A, Verma SK, Rathore DK, Kazerouni AS, Partridge SC, LoCastro E, Paudyal R, Wolansky IA, Shukla-Dave A, Schouten P, Gurney-Champion OJ, Jiřík R, Macíček O, Bartoš M, Vitouš J, Das AB, Kim SG, Bokacheva L, Mikheev A, Rusinek H, Berks M, Hubbard Cristinacce PL, Little RA, Cheung S, O'Connor JPB, Parker GJM, Moloney B, LaViolette PS, Bobholz S, Duenweg S, Virostko J, Laue HO, Sung K, Nabavizadeh A, Saligheh Rad H, Hu LS, Sourbron S, Bell LC, Fathi Kazerooni A. The ISMRM Open Science Initiative for Perfusion Imaging (OSIPI): Results from the OSIPI-Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced challenge. Magn Reson Med. 2023 Dec 19. doi: 10.1002/mrm.29909.