Department of Radiology, 65372Dankook University Hospital, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea.
Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, 65526Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Acta Radiol. 2021 Apr;62(4):541-550. doi: 10.1177/0284185120928931. Epub 2020 Jun 4.
Respiratory artifacts impair image quality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children who cannot hold breath during MRI examination.
To compare the quality of free-breathing contrast-enhanced 3D T1-weighted (T1W) images of the upper abdomen in children using Cartesian acquisition (Cartesian eTHRIVE), stack-of-stars acquisition with spectral fat suppression (3D VANE eTHRIVE), and stack-of-stars acquisition with fat suppression using modified Dixon (3D VANE mDixon).
Pediatric patients (aged <19 years) who underwent whole-body MRI with free-breathing contrast-enhanced T1W axial scans of upper abdomen using Cartesian eTHRIVE, 3D VANE eTHRIVE, and 3D VANE mDixon were enrolled. Image quality parameters were assessed including overall image quality, hepatic edge sharpness, hepatic vessel clarity, respiratory artifacts, radial artifacts, lesion conspicuity, and lesion edge sharpness using the Likert scale, where a lower score indicated poorer image quality. The coefficients of variation of signal intensity of liver and spleen were analyzed.
In 41 patients, 3D VANE eTHRIVE showed the highest scores for all image quality parameters ( ≤ 0.001). 3D VANE eTHRIVE also showed higher scores for respiratory ( ≤ 0.001) and radial artefacts than 3D VANE mDixon ( = 0.001). There were no significant differences in coefficients of variation of signal intensity of the liver and spleen between 3D VANE eTHRIVE and 3D VANE mDixon. Acquisition time was longer for 3D VANE eTHRIVE (81.26 ± 16 s) than for Cartesian eTHRIVE (7.87 ± 0.95 s) and 3D VANE mDixon (76.66 ± 12.4 s, < 0.001).
The application of stack-of-stars acquisition to 3D T1W abdominal MRI resulted in better image quality than Cartesian acquisition in free-breathing children. In stack-of-stars acquisition, spectral fat suppression resulted in better image quality and fewer artifacts than mDixon.
在无法在磁共振成像（MRI）检查期间屏气的儿童中，呼吸伪影会降低 MRI 的图像质量。
比较使用笛卡尔采集（Cartesian eTHRIVE）、带频谱脂肪抑制的星形采集（3D VANE eTHRIVE）和带改良 Dixon 脂肪抑制的星形采集（3D VANE mDixon）进行自由呼吸对比增强 3D T1 加权（T1W）腹部上区图像的儿童的自由呼吸对比增强 3D T1 加权（T1W）图像质量。
本研究纳入了在全身 MRI 检查中接受自由呼吸对比增强 T1W 轴位扫描的儿科患者（年龄<19 岁），扫描部位为上腹部，采集方法分别为 Cartesian eTHRIVE、3D VANE eTHRIVE 和 3D VANE mDixon。使用李克特量表评估图像质量参数，包括整体图像质量、肝缘锐利度、肝血管清晰度、呼吸伪影、放射状伪影、病灶显影度和病灶边缘锐利度，得分越低表示图像质量越差。分析肝脏和脾脏信号强度的变异系数。
在 41 例患者中，3D VANE eTHRIVE 在所有图像质量参数上的评分均最高（均≤0.001）。与 3D VANE mDixon 相比，3D VANE eTHRIVE 的呼吸伪影（均≤0.001）和放射状伪影评分也更高。3D VANE eTHRIVE 和 3D VANE mDixon 的肝脏和脾脏信号强度变异系数无显著差异。3D VANE eTHRIVE 的采集时间（81.26±16 s）长于 Cartesian eTHRIVE（7.87±0.95 s）和 3D VANE mDixon（76.66±12.4 s，均<0.001）。
与笛卡尔采集相比，3D T1W 腹部 MRI 中应用星形采集可在自由呼吸的儿童中获得更好的图像质量。在星形采集技术中，与 mDixon 相比，频谱脂肪抑制可获得更好的图像质量和更少的伪影。
