Perfusion Analysis Using MRI and Ultrasound

Perfusion analysis is an experimental imaging technique used for diagnostics and evaluation of therapy response in oncological and cardiovascular diseases. It enables an improvement of the success rate of the treatment and of its cost efficiency. The aimof this project is development of new data acquisiton and signal processing methods and of new models of the measured signals (describing the underlying physiology and data acquisition) in order to: 1. improve current magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) and ultrasound perfusion analysis to enable reliable estimation of absolute perfusion parameters, 2. decrease costs of the perfusion examinations and make them more accessible for evaluation of therapy response and increase the efficiency of the treatment;this will be achieved be combination of (cheap) ultrasound and (expensive) MRI examinations, i.e. perform perfusion MRI and ultrasound examination at the treatment beginning, then the follow-up examinations only using perfusion ultrasound and then, onlyin case of changes or uncertainties, include perfusion MRI.