Evaluation of apparent diffusion coefficient of two-dimensional BLADE turbo gradient- and spin-echo diffusion-weighted imaging with a breast phantom

Radiol Phys Technol. 2023 Mar;16(1):118-126. doi: 10.1007/s12194-022-00694-y. Epub 2023 Jan 3.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values generated with two-dimensional turbo gradient- and spin-echo with BLADE trajectory diffusion-weighted imaging (TGSE-BLADE-DWI) sequence using a breast diffusion phantom. TGSE-BLADE-DWI and single-shot spin-echo echo-planar imaging (SS-EPI-DWI) were performed using a 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Concordance rates of ADC values and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were compared between TGSE-BLADE-DWI and SS-EPI-DWI. TGSE-BLADE-DWI provided a higher concordance rate for ADC values than SS-EPI-DWI when b-values > 2000s/mm2 and a slice thickness of 1 mm were used. TGSE-BLADE-DWI showed less image distortion than SS-EPI-DWI. The SNR of TGSE-BLADE-DWI was higher than that of SS-EPI-DWI, except at a number of excitations of 7 and a slice thickness of 1 mm. In conclusion, TGSE-BLADE-DWI can offer a better SNR, less distortion, and more reliable ADC measurements than SS-EPI-DWI in a breast phantom.

Keywords: Apparent diffusion coefficient; Breast; Diffusion-weighted imaging; Magnetic resonance imaging; TGSE-BLADE-DWI.

MeSH terms

  • Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging* / methods
  • Echo-Planar Imaging / methods
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Signal-To-Noise Ratio