Perfusion studies in senology

Microcirculation imaging in breast cancer involves studying tissue enhancement after contrast injection, which is used to calculate perfusion and permeability. The magnitude of enhancement reflects blood and interstitial volumes. This technique has benefitted from advances in MRI, which allow large volumes to be acquired with a good compromise between temporal and spatial resolution. Software has also advanced enabling microcirculation maps to be calculated and heterogeneity to be analyzed. If permeability is increased and interstitial volume is reduced, the microcirculation imaging suggests a suspicious aggressive lesion and can be used for early assessment of neoadjuvant therapies by demonstrating restoration of normal functional indices, which precede morphological changes.