Diffusion weighted imaging combining respiratory triggering and navigator echo tracking in the upper abdomen

To evaluate a new motion correction method, named RT + NV Track, for upper abdominal DWI that combines the respiratory triggering (RT) method using a respiration sensor and the Navigator Track (NV Track) method using navigator echoes.

To evaluate image quality acquired upper abdominal DWI and ADC images with RT, NV, and RT + NV Track in 10 healthy volunteers and 35 patients, signal-to-noise efficiency (SNR_efficiency) and the coefficient of variation (CV) of ADC values were measured. Five radiologists independently performed qualitative image-analysis assessments.

RT + NV Track showed significantly higher SNR_efficiency than RT and NV (14.01 ± 4.86 vs 12.05 ± 4.65, 10.05 ± 3.18; p < 0.001, p < 0.001). RT + NV Track was superior to RT and equal or better quality than NV in CV and visual evaluation of ADC values (0.033 ± 0.018 vs 0.080 ± 0.042, 0.057 ± 0.034; p < 0.001, p < 0.001). RT + NV Track tends to acquire only expiratory data rather than NV, even in patients with relatively rapid breathing, and can correct for respiratory depth variations, a weakness of RT, thus minimizing image quality degradation.

The RT + NV Track method is an efficient imaging method that combines the advantages of both RT and NV methods in upper abdominal DWI, providing stably good images in a short scan time.