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Updated: May 11, 2026
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Vendor-Specific Correction Software for Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Bias Due to Gradient Nonlinearity in Breast
Tsukasa Yoshida1, Atsushi Urikura2, Masahiro Endo1
1From the Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate a vendor-specific correction software for apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) bias due to gradient nonlinearity in breast diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging using an ice-water phantom.
Methods:
The phantom consists of 5 plastic tubes with a length of 100 mm and a diameter of 15 mm, filled with distilled water and immersed in an ice-water bath. Diffusion-weighted images were acquired by echo-planar imaging sequence on a 3.0-T scanner. ADC maps with and without correction were calculated using 4 b -values (0, 100, 600, and 800 s/mm 2 ). The mean ADCs were measured using a rectangular profile with 5 × 40 pixels in the anterior-posterior (AP) and a square region of interest with 5 × 5 pixels in the right-left (RL) and superior-inferior (SI) directions on the ADC map. ADC was compared with and without correction using a paired t test. Additionally, ADC of the ice-water phantom was measured at the magnet isocenter.
Results:
ADC increased in the AP and RL directions and decreased in the SI direction with increasing distance from the isocenter before correction. After the correction, ADC at the off-center positions in the AP, RL, and SI directions was reduced to within 5% of the expected value. There were significant differences in the ADC at the off-center positions without and with correction ( P < 0.001); however, ADC at the magnet isocenter did not vary after correction (1.08 ± 0.02 × 10 -3 mm 2 /s).
Conclusions:
The vendor-specific software corrected the ADC bias due to gradient nonlinearity at the off-center positions in the AP, RL, and SI directions. Therefore, the software will contribute to the accurate ADC assessment in breast DWI.
