Impact of baseline adipose tissue characteristics on change in adipose tissue volume during a low calorie diet in people with obesity-results from the LION study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Weight loss outcomes vary individually. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based evaluation of adipose tissue (AT) might help to identify AT characteristics that predict AT loss. This study aimed to assess the impact of an 8-week low-calorie diet (LCD) on different AT depots and to identify predictors of short-term AT loss using MRI in adults with obesity. METHODS: Eighty-one adults with obesity (mean BMI 34.08 ± 2.75 kg/m², mean age 46.3 ± 10.97 years, 49 females) prospectively underwent baseline MRI (liver dome to femoral head) and anthropometric measurements (BMI, waist-to-hip-ratio, body fat), followed by a post-LCD-examination. Visceral and subcutaneous AT (VAT and SAT) volumes and AT fat fraction were extracted from the MRI data. Apparent lipid volumes based on MRI were calculated as approximation for the lipid contained in the AT. SAT and VAT volumes were subdivided into equidistant thirds along the craniocaudal axis and normalized by length of the segmentation. T-tests compared baseline and follow-up measurements and sex differences. Effect sizes on subdivided AT volumes were compared. Spearman Rank correlation explored associations between baseline parameters and AT loss. Multiple regression analysis identified baseline predictors for AT loss. RESULTS: Following the LCD, participants exhibited significant weight loss (11.61 ± 3.07 kg, p < 0.01) and reductions in all MRI-based AT parameters (p < 0.01). Absolute SAT loss exceeded VAT loss, while relative apparent lipid loss was higher in VAT (both p < 0.01). The lower abdominopelvic third showed the most significant SAT and VAT reduction. The predictor of most AT and apparent lipid losses was the normalized baseline SAT volume in the lower abdominopelvic third, with smaller volumes favoring greater AT loss (p < 0.01 for SAT and VAT loss and SAT apparent lipid volume loss). CONCLUSIONS: The LCD primarily reduces lower abdominopelvic SAT and VAT. Furthermore, lower abdominopelvic SAT volume was detected as a potential predictor for short-term AT loss in persons with obesity.

Diffusion-weighted MR spectroscopy: Consensus, recommendations, and resources from acquisition to modeling.

Brain cell structure and function reflect neurodevelopment, plasticity, and aging; and changes can help flag pathological processes such as neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation. Accurate and quantitative methods to noninvasively disentangle cellular structural features are needed and are a substantial focus of brain research. Diffusion-weighted MRS (dMRS) gives access to diffusion properties of endogenous intracellular brain metabolites that are preferentially located inside specific brain cell populations. Despite its great potential, dMRS remains a challenging technique on all levels: from the data acquisition to the analysis, quantification, modeling, and interpretation of results. These challenges were the motivation behind the organization of the Lorentz Center workshop on "Best Practices & Tools for Diffusion MR Spectroscopy" held in Leiden, the Netherlands, in September 2021. During the workshop, the dMRS community established a set of recommendations to execute robust dMRS studies. This paper provides a description of the steps needed for acquiring, processing, fitting, and modeling dMRS data, and provides links to useful resources.

Feasibility of omega-3 fatty acid fraction mapping using chemical shift encoding-based imaging at 3 T.

PURPOSE: The aim of this work is to develop an ω-3 fatty acid fraction mapping method at 3 T based on a chemical shift encoding model, to assess its performance in a phantom and in vitro study, and to further demonstrate its feasibility in vivo. METHODS: A signal model was heuristically derived based on spectral appearance and theoretical considerations of the corresponding molecular structures to differentiate between ω-3 and non-ω-3 fatty acid substituents in triacylglycerols in addition to the number of double bonds (ndb), the number of methylene-interrupted double bonds (nmidb), and the mean fatty acid chain length (CL). First, the signal model was validated using single-voxel spectroscopy and a time-interleaved multi-echo gradient-echo (TIMGRE) sequence in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-calibrated oil phantoms. Second, the TIMGRE-based method was validated in vitro in 21 adipose tissue samples with corresponding GC-MS measurements. Third, an in vivo feasibility study was performed for the TIMGRE-based method in the gluteal region of two healthy volunteers. Phantom and in vitro data was analyzed using a Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: Compared with GC-MS, MRS showed in the phantom study significant correlations in estimating the ω-3 fraction (p < 0.001), ndb (p < 0.001), nmidb (p < 0.001), and CL (p = 0.001); MRI showed in the phantom study significant correlations (all p < 0.001) for the ω-3 fraction, ndb, and nmidb, but no correlation for CL. Also in the in vitro study, significant correlations (all p < 0.001) between MRI and GC-MS were observed for the ω-3 fraction, ndb, and nmidb, but not for CL. An exemplary ROI measurement in vivo in the gluteal subcutaneous adipose tissue yielded (mean ± standard deviation) 0.8% ± 1.9% ω-3 fraction. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated strong correlations between gradient-echo imaging-based ω-3 fatty acid fraction mapping and GC-MS in the phantom and in vitro study. Furthermore, feasibility was demonstrated for characterizing adipose tissue in vivo.

Motion-induced phase-corrected homodyne reconstruction for partial Fourier single-shot diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging of the liver.

Partial Fourier encoding is popular in single-shot (ss) diffusion-weighted (DW) echo planar imaging (EPI) because it enables a shorter echo time (TE) and, hence, improves the signal-to-noise-ratio. Motion during diffusion encoding causes k-space shifting and dispersion, which compromises the quality of the homodyne reconstruction. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the artifacts in homodyne reconstruction of partial Fourier ss-DW-EPI data in the presence of motion-induced phase and proposes the motion-induced phase-corrected homodyne (mpc-hdyne) reconstruction method to ameliorate these artifacts. Simulations with different types of motion-induced phase were performed to provide an understanding of the potential artifacts that occur in the homodyne reconstruction of partial Fourier ss-DW-EPI data. To correct for the artifacts, the mpc-hdyne reconstruction is proposed. The algorithm recenters k-space, updates the partial Fourier factor according to detected global k-space shifts, and removes low-resolution nonlinear phase before the conventional homodyne reconstruction. The mpc-hdyne reconstruction is tested on both simulation and in vivo data. Motion-induced phase can cause signal overestimation, worm artifacts, and signal loss in partial Fourier ss-DW-EPI data with the conventional homodyne reconstruction. Simulation and in vivo data showed that the proposed mpc-hdyne reconstruction ameliorated artifacts, yielding higher quality DW images compared with conventional homodyne reconstruction. Based on the understanding of the artifacts in homodyne reconstruction of partial Fourier ss-DW-EPI data, the mpc-hdyne reconstruction was proposed and showed superior performance compared with the conventional homodyne reconstruction on both simulation and in vivo data.

Accelerated liver water T1 mapping using single-shot continuous inversion-recovery spiral imaging.

PURPOSE: Liver T1 mapping techniques typically require long breath holds or long scan time in free-breathing, need correction for B 1 + inhomogeneities and process composite (water and fat) signals. The purpose of this work is to accelerate the multi-slice acquisition of liver water selective T1 (wT1) mapping in a single breath hold, improving the k-space sampling efficiency. METHODS: The proposed continuous inversion-recovery (IR) Look-Locker methodology combines a single-shot gradient echo spiral readout, Dixon processing and a dictionary-based analysis for liver wT1 mapping at 3 T. The sequence parameters were adapted to obtain short scan times. The influence of fat, B 1 + inhomogeneities and TE on the estimation of T1 was first assessed using simulations. The proposed method was then validated in a phantom and in 10 volunteers, comparing it with MRS and the modified Look-Locker inversion-recovery (MOLLI) method. Finally, the clinical feasibility was investigated by comparing wT1 maps with clinical scans in nine patients. RESULTS: The phantom results are in good agreement with MRS. The proposed method encodes the IR-curve for the liver wT1 estimation, is minimally sensitive to B 1 + inhomogeneities and acquires one slice in 1.2 s. The volunteer results confirmed the multi-slice capability of the proposed method, acquiring nine slices in a breath hold of 11 s. The present work shows robustness to B 1 + inhomogeneities ( wT 1 , No B 1 + = 1.07 wT 1 , B 1 + - 45.63 , R 2 = 0.99 ) , good repeatability ( wT 1 , 2 ° = 1 . 0 wT 1 , 1 ° - 2.14 , R 2 = 0.96 ) and is in better agreement with MRS ( wT 1 = 0.92 wT 1 MRS + 103.28 , R 2 = 0.38 ) than is MOLLI ( wT 1 MOLLI = 0.76 wT 1 MRS + 254.43 , R 2 = 0.44 ) . The wT1 maps in patients captured diverse lesions, thus showing their clinical feasibility. CONCLUSION: A single-shot spiral acquisition can be combined with a continuous IR Look-Locker method to perform rapid repeatable multi-slice liver water T1 mapping at a rate of 1.2 s per slice without a B 1 + map. The proposed method is suitable for nine-slice liver clinical applications acquired in a single breath hold of 11 s.

Comparing CT-Like Images Based on Ultra-Short Echo Time and Gradient Echo T1-Weighted MRI Sequences for the Assessment of Vertebral Disorders Using Histology and True CT as the Reference Standard.

BACKGROUND: Several magnetic resonance (MR) techniques have been suggested for radiation-free imaging of osseous structures. PURPOSE: To compare the diagnostic value of ultra-short echo time and gradient echo T1-weighted MRI for the assessment of vertebral pathologies using histology and computed tomography (CT) as the reference standard. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. SUBJECTS: Fifty-nine lumbar vertebral bodies harvested from 20 human cadavers (donor age 73 ± 13 years; 9 male). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: Ultra-short echo time sequence optimized for both bone (UTEb) and cartilage (UTEc) imaging and 3D T1-weighted gradient-echo sequence (T1GRE) at 3 T; susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) gradient echo sequence at 1.5 T. CT was performed on a dual-layer dual-energy CT scanner using a routine clinical protocol. ASSESSMENT: Histopathology and conventional CT were acquired as standard of reference. Semi-quantitative and quantitative morphological features of degenerative changes of the spines were evaluated by four radiologists independently on CT and MR images independently and blinded to all other information. Features assessed were osteophytes, endplate sclerosis, visualization of cartilaginous endplate, facet joint degeneration, presence of Schmorl's nodes, and vertebral dimensions. Vertebral disorders were assessed by a pathologist on histology. STATISTICAL TESTS: Agreement between T1GRE, SWI, UTEc, and UTEb sequences and CT imaging and histology as standard of reference were assessed using Fleiss' κ and intra-class correlation coefficients, respectively. RESULTS: For the morphological assessment of osteophytes and endplate sclerosis, the overall agreement between SWI, T1GRE, UTEb, and UTEc with the reference standard (histology combined with CT) was moderate to almost perfect for all readers (osteophytes: SWI, κ range: 0.68-0.76; T1GRE: 0.92-1.00; UTEb: 0.92-1.00; UTEc: 0.77-0.85; sclerosis: SWI, κ range: 0.60-0.70; T1GRE: 0.77-0.82; UTEb: 0.81-0.92; UTEc: 0.61-0.71). For the visualization of the cartilaginous endplate, UTEc showed the overall best agreement with the reference standard (histology) for all readers (κ range: 0.85-0.93). DATA CONCLUSIONS: Morphological assessment of vertebral pathologies was feasible and accurate using the MR-based bone imaging sequences compared to CT and histopathology. T1GRE showed the overall best performance for osseous changes and UTEc for the visualization of the cartilaginous endplate. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Practical Application of Multivendor MRI-Based R2* Mapping for Liver Iron Quantification at 1.5 T and 3.0 T.

BACKGROUND: Recent multicenter, multivendor MRI-based R2* vs. liver iron concentration (LIC) calibrations (i.e., MCMV calibrations) may facilitate broad clinical dissemination of R2*-based LIC quantification. However, these calibrations are based on a centralized offline R2* reconstruction, and their applicability with vendor-provided R2* maps is unclear. PURPOSE: To determine R2* ranges of agreement between the centralized and three MRI vendors' R2* reconstructions. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. SUBJECTS: Two hundred and seven subjects (mean age 37.6 ± 19.6 years; 117 male) with known or suspected iron overload from four academic medical centers. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: Standardized multiecho spoiled gradient echo sequence at 1.5 T and 3.0 T for R2* mapping and a multiple spin-echo sequence at 1.5 T for LIC quantification. MRI vendors: GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, and Siemens Healthineers. ASSESSMENT: R2* maps were generated using both the centralized and vendor reconstructions, and ranges of agreement were determined. R2*-LIC linear calibrations were determined for each site, field strength, and reconstruction and compared with the MCMV calibrations. STATISTICAL TESTS: Bland-Altman analysis to determine ranges of agreement. Linear regression, analysis of covariance F tests, and Tukey's multiple comparison testing to assess reproducibility of calibrations across sites and vendors. A P value <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The upper limits of R2* ranges of agreement were approximately 500, 375, and 330 s-1 for GE, Philips, and Siemens reconstructions, respectively, at 1.5 T and approximately 700 and 800 s-1 for GE and Philips, respectively, at 3.0 T. Within the R2* ranges of agreement, vendor R2*-LIC calibrations demonstrated high reproducibility (no significant differences between slopes or intercepts; P ≥ 0.06) and agreed with the MCMV calibrations (overlapping 95% confidence intervals). DATA CONCLUSION: Based on the determined upper limits, R2* measurements obtained from vendor-provided R2* maps may be reliably and practically used to quantify LIC less than approximately 8-13 mg/g using the MCMV calibrations and similar acquisition parameters as this study. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.

Longitudinal MR-based proton-density fat fraction (PDFF) and T2* for the assessment of associations between bone marrow changes and myelotoxic chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: MR imaging-based proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and T2* imaging has shown to be useful for the evaluation of degenerative changes in the spine. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of myelotoxic chemotherapy on the PDFF and T2* of the thoracolumbar spine in comparison to changes in bone mineral density (BMD). METHODS: In this study, 19 patients were included who had received myelotoxic chemotherapy (MC) and had received a MR imaging scan of the thoracolumbar vertebrates before and after the MC. Every patient was matched for age, sex, and time between the MRI scans to two controls without MC. All patients underwent 3-T MR imaging including the thoracolumbar spine comprising chemical shift encoding-based water-fat imaging to extract PDFF and T2* maps. Moreover, trabecular BMD values were determined before and after chemotherapy. Longitudinal changes in PDFF and T2* were evaluated and compared to changes in BMD. RESULTS: Absolute mean differences of PDFF values between scans before and after MC were at 8.7% (p = 0.01) and at -0.5% (p = 0.57) in the control group, resulting in significantly higher changes in PDFF in patients with MC (p = 0.008). BMD and T2* values neither showed significant changes in patients with nor in those without myelotoxic chemotherapy (p = 0.15 and p = 0.47). There was an inverse, yet non-significant correlation between changes in PDFF and BMD found in patients with myelotoxic chemotherapy (r = -0.41, p = 0.12). CONCLUSION: Therefore, PDFF could be a useful non-invasive biomarker in order to detect changes in the bone marrow in patients receiving myelotoxic therapy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Using PDFF as a non-invasive biomarker for early bone marrow changes in oncologic patients undergoing myelotoxic treatment may help enable more targeted countermeasures at commencing states of bone marrow degradation and reduce risks of possible fragility fractures. KEY POINTS: Quantifying changes in bone marrow fat fraction, as well as T2* caused by myelotoxic pharmaceuticals using proton density fat fraction, is feasible. Proton density fat fraction could potentially be established as a non-invasive biomarker for early bone marrow changes in oncologic patients undergoing myelotoxic treatment.

Partial Fourier in the presence of respiratory motion in prostate diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of respiratory motion in terms of signal loss in prostate diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and to evaluate the usage of partial Fourier in a free-breathing protocol in a clinically relevant b-value range using both single-shot and multi-shot acquisitions. METHODS: A controlled breathing DWI acquisition was first employed at 3 T to measure signal loss from deep breathing patterns. Single-shot and multi-shot (2-shot) acquisitions without partial Fourier (no pF) and with partial Fourier (pF) factors of 0.75 and 0.65 were employed in a free-breathing protocol. The apparent SNR and ADC values were evaluated in 10 healthy subjects to measure if low pF factors caused low apparent SNR or overestimated ADC. RESULTS: Controlled breathing experiments showed a difference in signal coefficient of variation between shallow and deep breathing. In free-breathing single-shot acquisitions, the pF 0.65 scan showed a significantly (p < 0.05) higher apparent SNR than pF 0.75 and no pF in the peripheral zone (PZ) of the prostate. In the multi-shot acquisitions in the PZ, pF 0.75 had a significantly higher apparent SNR than 0.65 pF and no pF. The single-shot pF 0.65 scan had a significantly lower ADC than single-shot no pF. CONCLUSION: Deep breathing patterns can cause intravoxel dephasing in prostate DWI. For single-shot acquisitions at a b-value of 800 s/mm2, any potential risks of motion-related artefacts at low pF factors (pF 0.65) were outweighed by the increase in signal from a lower TE, as shown by the increase in apparent SNR. In multi-shot acquisitions however, the minimum pF factor should be larger, as shown by the lower apparent SNR at low pF factors.

Silicone implant and fibrous capsule assessment based on water-fat-silicone chemical shift encoding-based species separation in breast MRI.

BACKGROUND: With rising breast augmentations worldwide, there is an increasing clinical need for an early and accurate detection of implant complications. PURPOSE: To compare the quality of chemical shift encoding-based (CSE) water-fat-silicone separation compared to double inversion recovery (DIR) silicone-only imaging in breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective, single-center study included women with silicone implants subjected to 3-T MRI between January 2021 and March 2022. MRI included (i) two-dimensional silicone-only T2-weighted turbo spin echo DIR acquisition and (ii) three-dimensional CSE imaging based on multi-echo gradient-echo sequence enabling water-, fat-, and silicone-image separation. Images were evaluated and compared by three independent radiologists using a clinically established rating including differentiability of the silicone implant, visibility and contouring of the adjacent fibrous capsule, and accuracy of intralesional folds in a ranking of 1-5. The apparent contrast-to-noise (aCNR) was calculated. RESULTS: In 71 women, the average quality of water-fat-silicone images from CSE imaging was assessed as "good" (assessment 4 ± 0.9). In 68 (96%) patients, CSE imaging achieved a concise delineation of the silicone implant and precise visualization of the fibrous capsule that was not distinguishable in DIR imaging. Implant ruptures were more easily detected in CSE imaging. The aCNR was higher in CSE compared to DIR imaging (18.43 ± 9.8 vs. 14.73 ± 2.5; P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Intrinsically co-registered water-fat-silicone-separated CSE-based images enable a reliable assessment of silicone implants. The simultaneously improved differentiability of the implant and fibrous capsule may provide clinicians with a valuable tool for an accurate evaluation of implant integrity and early detection of potential complications.

MR imaging after patellar MACI and MPFL reconstruction: a comparison of isolated versus combined procedures.

OBJECTIVE: To qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the 2.5-year MRI outcome after Matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) at the patella, reconstruction of the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL), and combined procedures. METHODS: In 66 consecutive patients (age 22.8 ± 6.4years) with MACI at the patella (n = 16), MPFL reconstruction (MPFL; n = 31), or combined procedures (n = 19) 3T MRI was performed 2.5 years after surgery. For morphological MRI evaluation WORMS and MOCART scores were obtained. In addition quantitative cartilage T2 and T1rho relaxation times were acquired. Several clinical scores were obtained. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney-U-tests and Pearson correlations. RESULTS: WORMS scores at follow-up (FU) were significantly worse after combined procedures (8.7 ± 4.9) than after isolated MACI (4.3 ± 3.6, P = 0.005) and after isolated MPFL reconstruction (5.3 ± 5.7, P = 0.004). Bone marrow edema at the patella in the combined group was the only (non-significantly) worsening WORMS parameter from pre- to postoperatively. MOCART scores were significantly worse in the combined group than in the isolated MACI group (57 ± 3 vs 88 ± 9, P < 0.001). Perfect defect filling was achieved in 26% and 69% of cases in the combined and MACI group, respectively (P = 0.031). Global and patellar T2 values were higher in the combined group (Global T2: 34.0 ± 2.8ms) and MACI group (35.5 ± 3.1ms) as compared to the MPFL group (31.1 ± 3.2ms, P < 0.05). T2 values correlated significantly with clinical scores (P < 0.005). Clinical Cincinnati scores were significantly worse in the combined group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: After combined surgery with patellar MACI and MPFL reconstruction inferior MRI outcomes were observed than after isolated procedures. Therefore, patients with need for combined surgery may be at particular risk for osteoarthritis.

[Expert recommendations for magnetic resonance imaging of muscle disorders]. / Expertenempfehlung zur Magnetresonanztomographie bei Muskelerkrankungen.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging of the skeletal muscles (muscle MRI for short) is increasingly being used in clinical routine for diagnosis and longitudinal assessment of muscle disorders. However, cross-centre standards for measurement protocol and radiological assessment are still lacking. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this expert recommendation is to present standards for the application and interpretation of muscle MRI in hereditary and inflammatory muscle disorders. METHODS: This work was developed in collaboration between neurologists, neuroradiologists, radiologists, neuropaediatricians, neuroscientists and MR physicists from different university hospitals in Germany. The recommendations are based on expert knowledge and a focused literature search. RESULTS: The indications for muscle MRI are explained, including the detection and monitoring of structural tissue changes and oedema in the muscle, as well as the identification of a suitable biopsy site. Recommendations for the examination procedure and selection of appropriate MRI sequences are given. Finally, steps for a structured radiological assessment are presented. CONCLUSIONS: The present work provides concrete recommendations for the indication, implementation and interpretation of muscle MRI in muscle disorders. Furthermore, it provides a possible basis for the standardisation of the measurement protocols at all clinical centres in Germany.

Multicenter Reproducibility of Liver Iron Quantification with 1.5-T and 3.0-T MRI.

Background MRI is a standard of care tool to measure liver iron concentration (LIC). Compared with regulatory-approved R2 MRI, R2* MRI has superior speed and is available in most MRI scanners; however, the cross-vendor reproducibility of R2*-based LIC estimation remains unknown. Purpose To evaluate the reproducibility of LIC via single-breath-hold R2* MRI at both 1.5 T and 3.0 T with use of a multicenter, multivendor study. Materials and Methods Four academic medical centers using MRI scanners from three different vendors (three 1.5-T scanners, one 2.89-T scanner, and two 3.0-T scanners) participated in this prospective cross-sectional study. Participants with known or suspected liver iron overload were recruited to undergo multiecho gradient-echo MRI for R2* mapping at 1.5 T and 3.0 T (2.89 T or 3.0 T) on the same day. R2* maps were reconstructed from the multiecho images and analyzed at a single center. Reference LIC measurements were obtained with a commercial R2 MRI method performed using standardized 1.5-T spin-echo imaging. R2*-versus-LIC calibrations were generated across centers and field strengths using linear regression and compared using F tests. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the diagnostic performance of R2* MRI in the detection of clinically relevant LIC thresholds. Results A total of 207 participants (mean age, 38 years ± 20 [SD]; 117 male participants) were evaluated between March 2015 and September 2019. A linear relationship was confirmed between R2* and LIC. All calibrations within the same field strength were highly reproducible, showing no evidence of statistically significant center-specific differences (P > .43 across all comparisons). Calibrations for 1.5 T and 3.0 T were generated, as follows: for 1.5 T, LIC (in milligrams per gram [dry weight]) = -0.16 + 2.603 × 10-2 R2* (in seconds-1); for 2.89 T, LIC (in milligrams per gram) = -0.03 + 1.400 × 10-2 R2* (in seconds-1); for 3.0 T, LIC (in milligrams per gram) = -0.03 + 1.349 × 10-2 R2* (in seconds-1). Liver R2* had high diagnostic performance in the detection of clinically relevant LIC thresholds (area under the ROC curve, >0.98). Conclusion R2* MRI enabled accurate and reproducible quantification of liver iron overload over clinically relevant ranges of liver iron concentration (LIC). The data generated in this study provide the necessary calibrations for broad clinical dissemination of R2*-based LIC quantification. ClinicalTrials.gov registration no.: NCT02025543 © RSNA, 2022 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

On the water-fat in-phase assumption for quantitative susceptibility mapping.

PURPOSE: To (a) define multi-peak fat model-based effective in-phase echo times for quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) in water-fat regions, (b) analyze the relationship between fat fraction, field map quantification bias and susceptibility bias, and (c) evaluate the susceptibility mapping performance of the proposed effective in-phase echoes in comparison to single-peak in-phase echoes and water-fat separation for regions where both water and fat are present. METHODS: Effective multipeak in-phase echo times for a bone marrow and a liver fat spectral model were derived from a single voxel simulation. A Monte Carlo simulation was performed to assess the field map estimation error as a function of fat fraction for the different in-phase echoes. Additionally, a phantom scan and in vivo scans in the liver, spine, and breast were performed and evaluated with respect to quantification accuracy. RESULTS: The use of single-peak in-phase echoes can introduce a worst-case susceptibility bias of 0.43 $$ 0.43 $$  ppm. The use of effective multipeak in-phase echoes shows a similar quantitative performance in the numerical simulation, the phantom and in all in vivo anatomies when compared to water-fat separation-based QSM. CONCLUSION: QSM based on the proposed effective multipeak in-phase echoes can alleviate the quantification bias present in QSM based on single-peak in-phase echoes. When compared to water-fat separation-based QSM the proposed effective in-phase echo times achieve a similar quantitative performance while drastically reducing the computational expense for field map estimation.

Motion compensated renal diffusion weighted imaging.

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of respiratory motion and cardiac driven pulsation in renal DWI and to examine asymmetrical velocity-compensated diffusion encoding waveforms for robust ADC mapping in the kidneys. METHODS: The standard monopolar Stejskal-Tanner pulsed gradient spin echo (pgse) and the asymmetric bipolar velocity-compensated (asym-vc) diffusion encoding waveforms were used for coronal renal DWI at 3T. The robustness of the ADC quantification in the kidneys was tested with the aforementioned waveforms in respiratory-triggered and breath-held cardiac-triggered scans at different trigger delays in 10 healthy subjects. RESULTS: The pgse waveform showed higher ADC values in the right kidney at short trigger delays in comparison to longer trigger delays in the respiratory triggered scans when the diffusion gradient was applied in the feet-head (FH) direction. The coefficient of variation over all respiratory trigger delays, averaged over all subjects was 0.15 for the pgse waveform in the right kidney when diffusion was measured in the FH direction; the corresponding coefficient of variation for the asym-vc waveform was 0.06. The effect of cardiac driven pulsation was found to be small in comparison to the effect of respiratory motion. CONCLUSION: Short trigger delays in respiratory-triggered scans can cause higher ADC values in comparison to longer trigger delays in renal DWI, especially in the right kidney when diffusion is measured in the FH direction. The asym-vc waveform can reduce ADC variation due to respiratory motion in respiratory-triggered scans at the cost of reduced SNR compared to the pgse waveform.

Robust breast quantitative susceptibility mapping in the presence of silicone.

PURPOSE: To (a) develop a preconditioned water-fat-silicone total field inversion (wfsTFI) algorithm that directly estimates the susceptibility map from complex multi-echo data in the breast in the presence of silicone and to (b) evaluate the performance of wfsTFI for breast quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) in silico and in vivo in comparison with formerly proposed methods. METHODS: Numerical simulations and in vivo multi-echo gradient echo breast measurements were performed to compare wfsTFI to a previously proposed field map-based linear total field inversion algorithm (lTFI) with and without the consideration of the chemical shift of silicone in the field map estimation step. Specifically, a simulation based on an in vivo scan and data from five patients were included in the analysis. RESULTS: In the simulation, wfsTFI is able to significantly decrease the normalized root mean square error from lTFI without (4.46) and with (1.77) the consideration of the chemical shift of silicone to 0.68. Both the in silico and in vivo wfsTFI susceptibility maps show reduced shadowing artifacts in local tissue adjacent to silicone, reduced streaking artifacts and no erroneous single voxels of diamagnetic susceptibility in proximity to silicone. CONCLUSION: The proposed wfsTFI method can automatically distinguish between subjects with and without silicone. Furthermore wfsTFI accounts for the presence of silicone in the QSM dipole inversion and allows for the robust estimation of susceptibility in proximity to silicone breast implants and hence allows the visualization of structures that would otherwise be dominated by artifacts on susceptibility maps.

Assessing breast density using the chemical-shift encoding-based proton density fat fraction in 3-T MRI.

OBJECTIVES: There is a clinical need for a non-ionizing, quantitative assessment of breast density, as one of the strongest independent risk factors for breast cancer. This study aims to establish proton density fat fraction (PDFF) as a quantitative biomarker for fat tissue concentration in breast MRI and correlate mean breast PDFF to mammography. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 193 women were routinely subjected to 3-T MRI using a six-echo chemical shift encoding-based water-fat sequence. Water-fat separation was based on a signal model accounting for a single T2* decay and a pre-calibrated 7-peak fat spectrum resulting in volumetric fat-only, water-only images, PDFF- and T2*-values. After semi-automated breast segmentation, PDFF and T2* values were determined for the entire breast and fibroglandular tissue. The mammographic and MRI-based breast density was classified by visual estimation using the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System categories (ACR A-D). RESULTS: The PDFF negatively correlated with mammographic and MRI breast density measurements (Spearman rho: -0.74, p < .001) and revealed a significant distinction between all four ACR categories. Mean T2* of the fibroglandular tissue correlated with increasing ACR categories (Spearman rho: 0.34, p < .001). The PDFF of the fibroglandular tissue showed a correlation with age (Pearson rho: 0.56, p = .03). CONCLUSION: The proposed breast PDFF as an automated tissue fat concentration measurement is comparable with mammographic breast density estimations. Therefore, it is a promising approach to an accurate, user-independent, and non-ionizing breast density assessment that could be easily incorporated into clinical routine breast MRI exams. KEY POINTS: • The proposed PDFF strongly negatively correlates with visually determined mammographic and MRI-based breast density estimations and therefore allows for an accurate, non-ionizing, and user-independent breast density measurement. • In combination with T2*, the PDFF can be used to track structural alterations in the composition of breast tissue for an individualized risk assessment for breast cancer.

Evaluation of a deep learning-based reconstruction method for denoising and image enhancement of shoulder MRI in patients with shoulder pain.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of an automated reconstruction algorithm combining MR imaging acquired using compressed SENSE (CS) with deep learning (DL) in order to reconstruct denoised high-quality images from undersampled MR images in patients with shoulder pain. METHODS: Prospectively, thirty-eight patients (14 women, mean age 40.0 ± 15.2 years) with shoulder pain underwent morphological MRI using a pseudo-random, density-weighted k-space scheme with an acceleration factor of 2.5 using CS only. An automated DL-based algorithm (CS DL) was used to create reconstructions of the same k-space data as used for CS reconstructions. Images were analyzed by two radiologists and assessed for pathologies, image quality, and visibility of anatomical landmarks using a 4-point Likert scale. RESULTS: Overall agreement for the detection of pathologies between the CS DL reconstructions and CS images was substantial to almost perfect (κ 0.95 (95% confidence interval 0.82-1.00)). Image quality and the visibility of the rotator cuff, articular cartilage, and axillary recess were overall rated significantly higher for CS DL images compared to CS (p < 0.03). Contrast-to-noise ratios were significantly higher for cartilage/fluid (CS DL 198 ± 24.3, CS 130 ± 32.2, p = 0.02) and ligament/fluid (CS DL 184 ± 17.3, CS 141 ± 23.5, p = 0.03) and SNR values were significantly higher for ligaments and muscle of the CS DL reconstructions (p < 0.04). CONCLUSION: Evaluation of shoulder pathologies was feasible using a DL-based algorithm for MRI reconstruction and denoising. In clinical routine, CS DL may be beneficial in particular for reducing image noise and may be useful for the detection and better discrimination of discrete pathologies. Assessment of shoulder pathologies was feasible with improved image quality as well as higher SNR using a compressed sensing deep learning-based framework for image reconstructions and denoising. KEY POINTS: • Automated deep learning-based reconstructions showed a significant increase in signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio (p < 0.04) with only a slight increase of reconstruction time of 40 s compared to CS. • All pathologies were accurately detected with no loss of diagnostic information or prolongation of the scan time. • Significant improvements of the image quality as well as the visibility of the rotator cuff, articular cartilage, and axillary recess were detected.

Assessment of glenoid bone loss and other osseous shoulder pathologies comparing MR-based CT-like images with conventional CT.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and compare the diagnostic performance of CT-like images based on a 3D T1-weighted spoiled gradient-echo sequence (T1 GRE), an ultra-short echo time sequence (UTE), and a 3D T1-weighted spoiled multi-echo gradient-echo sequence (FRACTURE) with conventional CT in patients with suspected osseous shoulder pathologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with suspected traumatic dislocation of the shoulder (n = 46, mean age 40 ± 14.5 years, 19 women) were prospectively recruited and received 3-T MR imaging including 3D T1 GRE, UTE, and 3D FRACTURE sequences. CT was performed in patients with acute fractures and served as standard of reference (n = 25). Agreement of morphological features between the modalities was analyzed including the glenoid bone loss, Hill-Sachs interval, glenoid track, and the anterior straight-line length. Agreement between the modalities was assessed using Bland-Altman plots, Student's t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Inter- and intrareader assessment was evaluated with weighted Cohen's κ and intraclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS: All osseous pathologies were detected accurately on all three CT-like sequences (n = 25, κ = 1.00). No significant difference in the percentage of glenoid bone loss was found between CT (mean ± standard deviation, 20.3% ± 8.0) and CT-like MR images (FRACTURE 20.6% ± 7.9, T1 GRE 20.4% ± 7.6, UTE 20.3% ± 7.7, p > 0.05). When comparing the different measurements on CT-like images, measurements performed using the UTE images correlated best with CT. CONCLUSION: Assessment of bony Bankart lesions and other osseous pathologies was feasible and accurate using CT-like images based on 3-T MRI compared with conventional CT. Compared to the T1 GRE and FRACTURE sequence, the UTE measurements correlated best with CT. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: In an acute trauma setting, CT-like images based on a T1 GRE, UTE, or FRACTURE sequence might be a useful alternative to conventional CT scan sparing associated costs as well as radiation exposure. KEY POINTS: • No significant differences were found for the assessment of the glenoid bone loss when comparing measurements of CT-like MR images with measurements of conventional CT images. • Compared to the T1 GRE and FRACTURE sequence, the UTE measurements correlated best with CT whereas the FRACTURE sequence appeared to be the most robust regarding motion artifacts. • The T1 GRE sequence had the highest resolution with high bone contrast and detailed delineation of even small fractures but was more susceptible to motion artifacts.

Diagnostic value of water-fat-separated images and CT-like susceptibility-weighted images extracted from a single ultrashort echo time sequence for the evaluation of vertebral fractures and degenerative changes of the spine.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the performance of single-echo Dixon water-fat imaging and computed tomography (CT)-like imaging based on a single ultrashort echo time (sUTE) MR sequence for imaging of vertebral fractures as well as degenerative bone changes of the spine in comparison to conventional CT and MR sequences. METHODS: Thirty patients with suspected acute vertebral fractures were examined using a 3-T MRI, including an sUTE sequence as well as short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) and T1-weighted sequences. During postprocessing, water-fat separation was performed by solving the smoothness-constrained inverse water-fat problem based on a single-complex UTE image. By removing the unwanted low-frequency phase terms, additional MR-based susceptibility-weighted-like (SW-like) images with CT-like contrast were created. Two radiologists evaluated semi-quantitative and quantitative features of fractures and degenerative changes independently and separately on CT and MR images. RESULTS: In total, all 58 fractures were accurately detected of whom 24 were correctly classified as acute fractures with an edema detected on the water-fat-separated UTE images, using STIR and T1w sequences as standard of reference. For the morphological assessment of fractures and degenerative changes, the overall agreement between SW-like images and CT was substantial to excellent (e.g., Genant: κ 0.90 (95% confidence interval 0.54-1.00); AO/Magerl: κ 0.75 (95% confidence interval 0.43-1.00)). Overall inter-reader agreement for water-fat-separated UTE images and SW-like images was substantial to almost perfect. CONCLUSION: Detection and assessment of vertebral fractures and degenerative bone changes of the spine were feasible and accurate using water-fat-separated images as well as SW-like images, both derived from the same sUTE-Dixon sequence. KEY POINTS: • The detection of acute vertebral fractures was feasible using water-fat-separated images and CT-like images reconstructed from one sUTE sequence. • Assessment of the vertebral fractures using SW-like images with CT-like contrast was found to be comparable to conventional CT. • sUTE imaging of the spine can help reduce examination times and radiation exposure.