Preliminary results of abdominal simultaneous multi-slice accelerated diffusion-weighted imaging with motion-correction in patients with cystic fibrosis and impaired compliance

Abstract

Objectives The aim of this prospective study was to compare scan time, image quality, signal-to-noise Ratio (SNR), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of simultaneous multi-slice accelerated diffusion-weighted imaging with motion-correction (DWI SMS Moco) to standard diffusion-weighted imaging (sDWI) in free-breathing abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in pediatric and young adult patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Material and methods 16 patients (7 male and 9 female, 12–41 years old) with CF were examined prospectively in a single-center from November 2020 to March 2021 on a 1.5 Tesla clinical MR scanner. The characteristics of overall image quality and delimitability of mesenteric lymph nodes were evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale by two experienced pediatric radiologists independently from each other. Quantitative parameters with SNR and ADC values were assessed in 8 different locations and compared using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results The acquisition time for DWI SMS Moco was 32% shorter than for sDWI. Regarding quality comparison, overall image quality and delimitability of mesenteric lymph nodes were significant higher in DWI SMS Moco (p ≤ 0.05 for both readers). The readers preferred DWI SMS Moco to sDWI in all cases (16/16). Mean SNR values from DWI SMS Moco and sDWI were similar in 7 from 8 locations. The ADC values showed no significant difference between DWI SMS Moco and sDWI in any of the evaluated locations (p > 0.05). Conclusions The DWI SMS Moco improves overall image quality and delimitability of mesenteric lymph nodes compared to sDWI with similar SNR and ADC values and a distinguished reduction of scan time in free-breathing by one third. We conclude that MRI with DWI SMS Moco could be helpful in monitoring the effect of the high-efficiency modulator (HEM) therapy in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients homozygous or heterozygous for F508del in the abdomen.

Whole-body diffusion magnetic resonance imaging with simultaneous multi-slice excitation in children and adolescents

“…In this study, the ADC values showed no significant differences in six of seven localizations analyzed. This is in agreement with the results of Glutig et al [ 24 ] and Xu et al [ 32 , 33 ], but contrasts with the data of Taron et al [ 19 ], who measured lower ADC values.…”

“…They were able to show a substantial reduction in liver DWI scan time (70%), with comparable image quality. Recently, regarding abdominal MRI in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis, Glutig et al showed a 32% reduction in examination time with no decrease in SNR using SMS-DWI and improved image quality by additional reconstruction with motion-correction [ 24 ]. In this work, the combination of STIR-DWI and the SMS technique for whole-body imaging was used for the first time.…”

“…Kenkel et al showed both a drastic reduction in the duration of whole-body MRI using SMS-DWI and its clinical applicability in adults [ 22 ]. Tabari et al and, more recently, Glutig et al demonstrated the benefit of simultaneous multi-slice abdominal MRI during childhood and adolescence using the kidney as an example in patients with cystic fibrosis and tuberous sclerosis complex [ 23 , 24 ]. The use of an efficient interleaving scheme for WB STIR DWI imaging [ 2 , 25 ] represents another method of reducing the acquisition time of WB-MRI.…”

Enhanced Image Processing Using Complex Averaging in Diffusion-Weighted Imaging of the Prostate: The Impact on Image Quality and Lesion Detectability

“…Moreover, similar to our increased detection rate using EIP, they also found increased sensitivity for the complexedaveraged images (73.6% vs. 63.1% in acquired and 68.4% vs. 63.1% in calculated images). Besides implementing the proposed EIP in DWI of the prostate, the technique can also be used in different areas of the body and similar improvements in image quality and lesion detection rates were reported [15][16][17]. Tavakoli et al have found improved image quality, lesion discernibility, and reduced acquisition times for renal imaging with simultaneous multislice (SMS) DWI with respiratory triggering compared with standard single-shot DWI [17].…”

Motion-Corrected versus Conventional Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Liver Using Non-Rigid Registration

“…In addition to the conventional reconstruction, the acquired data were also processed by a scanner-integrated research application that included further steps in the derivation of combined diffusion-weighted images from multiple complex-valued averages with different diffusion weighting, which was developed with a focus on free-breathing acquisitions. As detailed in a previous report [ 11 ], the processing first performed an elastic two-dimensional registration of averages with the same b-value and slice position. Furthermore, based on the variations between these averages, the regional signal compensation due to locally corrupted averages was estimated.…”