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Published on: May 10, 2022
Precision and Test-Retest Repeatability of Stiffness Measurement with MR Elastography: A Multicenter Phantom Study
Efe Ozkaya1, Paul Kennedy1, Jun Chen1
1From the BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute (E.O., P.K., O.B., B.T.) and Departments of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology (E.O., P.K., O.B., B.T.) Environmental Medicine and Public Health (J.T.D.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10029; Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn (J.C., P.J.R., S.K.V., R.L.E.); Department of Radiology, Nanjing University Medical School Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing, China (J.C.); Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio (J.R.D., J.A.T.); Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Health Network, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada (K.S.J.); Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, Calif (M.A.O.); and Department of Radiology, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, Calif (M.A.O.).
MR elastography (MRE) demonstrates high precision and repeatability for liver stiffness measurement in multicenter phantom studies. Standardized protocols ensure reliable noninvasive liver fibrosis staging across different scanners.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Biophysics
- Quantitative MRI
Background:
- MR elastography (MRE) is a validated technique for noninvasive liver fibrosis staging.
- Limited data exists on MRE stiffness measurement precision and repeatability in multicenter settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the precision and test-retest repeatability of MRE stiffness measurements across multiple institutions.
- To evaluate MRE performance using standardized phantoms and acquisition protocols.
Main Methods:
- Three polyvinyl chloride gel phantoms with varying stiffness were scanned across five centers using 10 clinical MRE systems (1.5-T and 3-T).
- Standardized two-dimensional (2D) gradient-recalled echo (GRE) and 2D spin-echo (SE) echo-planar imaging (EPI) protocols were employed.
- Stiffness precision (coefficient of variation, CV) and repeatability (repeatability coefficient, RC) were calculated.
Main Results:
- Overall mean precision (CV) was 5.8%; 2D GRE showed 4.5% CV and 2D SE EPI showed 7.8% CV.
- Overall mean test-retest repeatability (RC) was 5.8%; 2D GRE achieved 4.9% RC and 2D SE EPI achieved 7.0% RC.
- Excellent in vitro precision and repeatability were observed across centers.
Conclusions:
- MR elastography exhibits excellent in vitro precision and same-session test-retest repeatability in a multicenter environment.
- Standardized MRE protocols, hardware, and reconstruction algorithms are key to achieving consistent stiffness measurements.
- These findings support the reliability of MRE for multicenter liver fibrosis staging.
