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Clinical Application of Readout-Segmented− Echo-Planar Imaging for Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Pediatric Brain

Clinical Application of Readout-Segmented− Echo-Planar Imaging for Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in... BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: RS-EPI has been suggested as an alternative approach to EPI for high-resolution DWI with reduced distortions. To determine whether RS-EPI is a useful approach for routine clinical use, we implemented GRAPPA-accelerated RS-EPI DWI at our pediatric hospital and graded the images alongside standard accelerated (ASSET) EPI DWI used routinely for clinical studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: GRAPPA-accelerated RS-EPI DWIs and ASSET EPI DWIs were acquired on 35 pediatric patients using a 3T system in 35 pediatric patients. The images were graded alongside each other by using a 7-point Likert scale as follows: 1, nondiagnostic; 2, poor; 3, acceptable; 4, standard; 5, above average; 6, good; and 7, outstanding. RESULTS: The following were the average scores for EPI and RS-EPI, respectively: resolution, 3.5/5.2; distortion level, 2.9/6.0; SNR, 3.4/4.1; lesion conspicuity, 3.3/5.9; and diagnostic confidence, 3.2/6.0. Overall, the RS-EPI had significantly improved diagnostic confidence and more reliably defined the extent and structure of several lesions. Although ASSET EPI scans had better SNR per scanning time, the higher spatial resolution as well as reduced blurring and distortions on RS-EPI scans helped to better reveal important anatomic details at the cortical-subcortical levels, brain stem, temporal and inferior frontal lobes, skull base, sinonasal cavity, cranial nerves, and orbits. CONCLUSIONS: This work shows the importance of both resolution and decreased distortions in the clinics, which can be accomplished by a combination of parallel imaging and alternative k -space trajectories such as RS-EPI. Abbreviations ASSET array spatial sensitivity encoding technique DTI diffusion tensor imaging DWI diffusion-weighted imaging EPI echo-planar imaging FSE fast spin-echo GRAPPA generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition PROPELLER periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction RS-EPI readout-segmented−echo-planar imaging SNR signal intensity–to-noise ratio TE min minimum TE http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png American Journal of Neuroradiology American Journal of Neuroradiology

Clinical Application of Readout-Segmented− Echo-Planar Imaging for Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Pediatric Brain

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Publisher
American Journal of Neuroradiology
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by the American Society of Neuroradiology.
ISSN
0195-6108
eISSN
1936-959X
DOI
10.3174/ajnr.A2481
pmid
21596809
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: RS-EPI has been suggested as an alternative approach to EPI for high-resolution DWI with reduced distortions. To determine whether RS-EPI is a useful approach for routine clinical use, we implemented GRAPPA-accelerated RS-EPI DWI at our pediatric hospital and graded the images alongside standard accelerated (ASSET) EPI DWI used routinely for clinical studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: GRAPPA-accelerated RS-EPI DWIs and ASSET EPI DWIs were acquired on 35 pediatric patients using a 3T system in 35 pediatric patients. The images were graded alongside each other by using a 7-point Likert scale as follows: 1, nondiagnostic; 2, poor; 3, acceptable; 4, standard; 5, above average; 6, good; and 7, outstanding. RESULTS: The following were the average scores for EPI and RS-EPI, respectively: resolution, 3.5/5.2; distortion level, 2.9/6.0; SNR, 3.4/4.1; lesion conspicuity, 3.3/5.9; and diagnostic confidence, 3.2/6.0. Overall, the RS-EPI had significantly improved diagnostic confidence and more reliably defined the extent and structure of several lesions. Although ASSET EPI scans had better SNR per scanning time, the higher spatial resolution as well as reduced blurring and distortions on RS-EPI scans helped to better reveal important anatomic details at the cortical-subcortical levels, brain stem, temporal and inferior frontal lobes, skull base, sinonasal cavity, cranial nerves, and orbits. CONCLUSIONS: This work shows the importance of both resolution and decreased distortions in the clinics, which can be accomplished by a combination of parallel imaging and alternative k -space trajectories such as RS-EPI. Abbreviations ASSET array spatial sensitivity encoding technique DTI diffusion tensor imaging DWI diffusion-weighted imaging EPI echo-planar imaging FSE fast spin-echo GRAPPA generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition PROPELLER periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction RS-EPI readout-segmented−echo-planar imaging SNR signal intensity–to-noise ratio TE min minimum TE

Journal

American Journal of Neuroradiology – American Journal of Neuroradiology

Published: Aug 1, 2011

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