Evaluating of the Quality of Hepatic Diffusion Weighted Imaging Using Multiband Imaging With Variable-Rate Selective Excitation

To assess the image quality of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) using multiband (MB) imaging with variable-rate selective excitation (VERSE) and compare it to conventional DWI.We retrospectively evaluated hepatic DWI images of patients (n = 76) according to either the conventional method (SENSE, acceleration factor = 2) (n = 38) or fast scanning method (MB imaging with VERSE, acceleration factor = 2 × 2) (n = 38). We also conducted a volunteer study (n = 15) for those scanning methods. During quantitative analysis, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), apparent diffusion coefficient values, and contrast in the liver, spleen, and spinal cord were compared between the 2 groups. During qualitative analysis, all images were independently and blindly evaluated by 2 board-certified radiologists. The image contrast, noise, artifacts, and sharpness were assessed, and the performance of classification was measured using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.In the retrospective study, the SNRs of the hepatic parenchyma and spinal cord between the 2 protocols were significantly different (liver, 8.9 [interquartile range {IQR}, 7.6-12.2] vs 13.0 [IQR, 10.0-16.7]; P0.001 and spinal cord, 6.0 [IQR, 4.7-9.4] vs 4.3 [IQR, 3.8-6.8]; P0.02). No significant differences between the 2 protocols in the other retrospective analyses were noted. In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, area under the curve was 0.49 (95% confidence intervals, 0.40-0.58).Multiband VERSE reduced scan time and SNR of hepatic DWI; however, subjective image quality parameters were not significantly impacted.