Free-breathing accelerated whole-body MRI using an automated workflow: Comparison with conventional breath-hold...

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Medical Imaging
• Oncology Imaging
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Background:

• Whole-body MRI is valuable in oncology but limited by long acquisition times.
• Breath-hold sequences can be challenging for patients, potentially impacting image quality and scan duration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess and compare the diagnostic performance and image quality of free-breathing whole-body MRI sequences against conventional breath-hold examinations.
• To evaluate patient satisfaction and examination experience with free-breathing MRI.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 20 volunteers and 6 patients undergoing 1.5-T whole-body MRI with T1-weighted radial and Dixon volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination sequences.
• Free-breathing sequences utilized an automated user interface.
• Image quality, diagnostic confidence, noise, and signal-to-noise ratio were evaluated by radiologists; diagnostic performance assessed via AUC; patient satisfaction surveyed.

Main Results:

• Free-breathing MRI scans were rated equivalent or superior to conventional scans in over 92% of cases.
• High diagnostic accuracy (95%) and performance (AUC 0.971) were achieved with free-breathing sequences.
• Examination times were significantly reduced (25 ± 2 min vs. 32 ± 3 min; p < 0.0001) with no significant difference in image quality or diagnostic confidence.
• Patient satisfaction was significantly higher for free-breathing scans (p = 0.0145).

Conclusions:

• Free-breathing whole-body MRI with an automated interface provides comparable diagnostic performance and image quality to conventional breath-hold sequences.
• This method significantly shortens examination times and enhances patient comfort and satisfaction.
• Free-breathing MRI represents a promising advancement for oncologic imaging, overcoming limitations of prolonged scan durations.