[Image Quality of the Pancreas Using Readout-segmented Echo-planar Imaging]

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Imaging Science
• Medical Physics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is crucial for pancreatic imaging.
• Single-shot echo-planar imaging (SS-EPI) is a common DWI technique but can suffer from distortions.
• Readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (RS-EPI) is an alternative DWI technique with potential to mitigate distortions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic utility of RS-EPI versus SS-EPI for pancreatic DWI.
• To evaluate image quality parameters including depiction area, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and sharpness.
• To assess apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and acquisition times.

Main Methods:

• Fourteen healthy volunteers underwent pancreatic DWI using both SS-EPI and RS-EPI sequences.
• Image quality metrics: normalized depiction area, SNR, and sharpness were quantified.
• Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were calculated for different pancreatic regions.

Main Results:

• RS-EPI demonstrated a significantly larger pancreatic depiction area (0.97±0.11) compared to SS-EPI (0.84±0.11).
• While SNR was higher in SS-EPI for the pancreatic head and body, RS-EPI maintained comparable sharpness and ADC values.
• RS-EPI offered a fixed acquisition time, unlike the variable time for SS-EPI.

Conclusions:

• RS-EPI significantly reduces geometric distortion in pancreatic DWI, leading to an improved depiction area.
• RS-EPI is a valuable pancreatic DWI technique, maintaining image quality metrics like sharpness and ADC values.
• The fixed acquisition time of RS-EPI adds to its clinical utility in pancreatic imaging.