Quality assurance multicenter comparison of different MR scanners for quantitative diffusion-weighted imaging

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Biophysics

Background:

• Quantitative diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is crucial for various clinical applications.
• Standardized quality assurance (QA) protocols are needed for multicenter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) comparisons.
• Current DWI protocols lack widespread acceptance for quality control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a standardized MRI quality assurance procedure for multicenter DWI comparisons.
• To evaluate the reliability of quantitative DWI metrics across different MR scanners.
• To establish a benchmark for assessing DWI data integrity.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-six centers with 35 MR scanners (1T, 1.5T, 3T) participated.
• Two DWI acquisition series (b-values 0-1000 and 0-3000 s/mm(2)) were performed using a doped water phantom.
• Mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and their repeatability were calculated for each scanner.

Main Results:

• Excellent agreement between nominal and measured mean ADC values across centers (over 80% within 5% deviation).
• Highest deviation of mean ADC was 9.3%, with an overall standard deviation of 3.5%.
• Short-term repeatability of ADC measurements was consistently below 2.5% for all scanners.

Conclusions:

• The proposed DWI QA protocol is effective for assessing MR scanner reliability.
• This protocol can be applied to ensure the quality of DWI-derived indices in multicenter studies.
• Implementation of this QA procedure will enhance the consistency and comparability of quantitative DWI data.