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Fast pediatric 3D free-breathing abdominal dynamic contrast enhanced MRI with high spatiotemporal resolution
Tao Zhang1, Joseph Y Cheng, Aaron G Potnick
1Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Purpose:
To develop a method for fast pediatric 3D free-breathing abdominal dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and investigate its clinical feasibility.
Materials And Methods:
A combined locally low rank parallel imaging method with soft gating is proposed for free-breathing DCE MRI acquisition. With Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and informed consent/assent, 23 consecutive pediatric patients were recruited for this study. Free-breathing DCE MRI with ∼1 mm(3) spatial resolution and a 6.5-sec frame rate was acquired on a 3T scanner. Undersampled data were reconstructed with a compressed sensing method without motion correction (FB-CS) and the proposed method (FB-LR). A follow-up respiratory-triggered acquisition (RT-CS) was performed as a reference standard. The reconstructed images were evaluated independently by two radiologists. Wilcoxon tests were performed to test the hypothesis that there was no significant difference between different reconstructions. Quantitative evaluation of contrast dynamics was also performed.
Results:
The mean score of overall image quality of FB-LR was 4.0 on a 5-point scale, significantly better (P < 0.05) than FB-CS reconstruction (mean score 2.9), and similar to RT-CS (mean score 4.1). FB-LR also matched the temporal fidelity of contrast dynamics with a root mean square error less than 5%.
Conclusion:
Fast 3D free-breathing DCE MRI with high scan efficiency and image quality similar to respiratory-triggered acquisition is feasible in a pediatric clinical setting.
Insights
A new fast 3D free-breathing abdominal dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI method improves image quality in pediatric patients. This technique offers clinical feasibility comparable to traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Pediatric Radiology
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Background:
- Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI is crucial for pediatric abdominal imaging.
- Acquisition is often limited by patient motion and breathing, necessitating lengthy scans or compromises in image quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and assess the clinical feasibility of a novel, fast 3D free-breathing abdominal DCE MRI technique for pediatric patients.
- To improve scan efficiency and image quality in pediatric DCE MRI.
Main Methods:
- A combined locally low rank parallel imaging method with soft gating was employed for free-breathing DCE MRI acquisition.
- 23 pediatric patients underwent free-breathing DCE MRI at ~1 mm³ spatial resolution and 6.5-sec frame rate on a 3T scanner.
- Undersampled data were reconstructed using a proposed method (FB-LR) and compared to a standard compressed sensing method (FB-CS) and respiratory-triggered acquisition (RT-CS).
Main Results:
- The proposed FB-LR method achieved a significantly higher image quality score (4.0/5) compared to FB-CS (2.9/5), and was comparable to respiratory-triggered acquisition (4.1/5).
- FB-LR demonstrated excellent temporal fidelity of contrast dynamics, with a root mean square error below 5%.
- The method proved effective in a pediatric clinical setting.
Conclusions:
- Fast 3D free-breathing abdominal DCE MRI is clinically feasible in pediatric patients.
- The developed method provides high scan efficiency and image quality comparable to respiratory-triggered acquisitions.
- This technique represents a significant advancement for pediatric abdominal MRI.
