Ultrafast MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging: a review of morphological evaluation and image quality in breast MRI

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Oncology

Background:

• Conventional dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) is standard for breast lesion evaluation but has limitations like long scan times and variable specificity.
• Emerging techniques, ultrafast DCE-MRI (UF-DCE) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), show promise as alternatives.
• UF-DCE MRI offers high temporal resolution, reducing artifacts and improving lesion conspicuity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the principles, technological advancements, and clinical applications of UF-DCE MRI and DWI.
• To emphasize their role in morphological evaluation and image quality for breast imaging.
• To highlight their potential to improve diagnostic performance, efficiency, and accessibility.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of advanced acceleration methods in UF-DCE MRI, including view sharing and compressed sensing.
• Review of DWI advancements, such as readout-segmented echo planar imaging and simultaneous multi-slice techniques.
• Focus on morphological assessment and image quality improvements in both techniques.

Main Results:

• UF-DCE MRI enhances temporal resolution and reduces motion artifacts and background enhancement.
• DWI provides high specificity for differentiating benign from malignant lesions using a contrast-agent-free approach.
• Advancements in DWI significantly improve spatial resolution and reduce artifacts, enabling better morphological assessment.

Conclusions:

• UF-DCE MRI and DWI hold potential to replace or complement conventional DCE-MRI, reducing patient burden.
• These techniques can improve the efficiency and accessibility of breast imaging while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
• Future research should focus on protocol optimization and integrating artificial intelligence for enhanced diagnostic performance.