Simultaneous Multislice Accelerated Free-Breathing Diffusion-Weighted Imaging of the Liver at 3T.

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Medical Imaging
• Diffusion-Weighted Imaging (DWI)
• Liver MRI Techniques

Background:

• Conventional diffusion-weighted imaging (c-DWI) in liver MRI can be time-consuming.
• Accelerated imaging techniques are needed to improve patient comfort and throughput.
• Multiband diffusion-weighted imaging (mb-DWI) offers potential for faster acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare image quality between accelerated multiband diffusion acquisition (mb2-DWI) and conventional diffusion acquisition (c-DWI).
• To evaluate lesion detectability and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements in liver MRI.
• To assess the clinical utility of a twofold accelerated mb-DWI sequence.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 22 patients undergoing clinically indicated liver MRI at 3-T.
• Comparison of c-DWI, mb-DWI, and twofold accelerated mb2-DWI sequences.
• Evaluation of image quality parameters, lesion detection rates, and liver ADC values.

Main Results:

• Accelerated mb2-DWI was 40.9% faster than c-DWI (88s vs. 149s).
• Overall image quality scores were significantly higher for mb2-DWI compared to c-DWI at b=0 s/mm² (p=0.001) and b=800 s/mm² (p=0.010).
• Identical lesion detectability (25 lesions) and no significant difference in liver ADC (p=0.12) were observed between mb2-DWI and c-DWI.

Conclusions:

• The multiband technique enables nearly twofold acceleration for free-breathing liver DWI.
• mb2-DWI provides similar or improved overall image quality compared to conventional DWI.
• This accelerated technique maintains lesion detectability, making it a valuable alternative for liver MRI.