title: Single-shot fast spin-echo diffusion tensor imaging of the lumbar spine at 1.5 and 3 T.
abstract: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the lumbar spine could improve diagnostic specificity. The purpose of this work was to determine the feasibility of and to validate DTI with single-shot fast spin-echo (SSFSE) for lumbar intervertebral discs at 1.5 and 3 T. Six normal volunteers were scanned with DTI-SSFSE using an eight- and a three-b-value protocol at 1.5 and 3 T, respectively. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were computed and validated based on those obtained at 1.5 T from corresponding diffusion tensor scans using line scan diffusion imaging (LSDI), a technique that has been previously validated for use in the spine. Pearson correlation coefficients for LSDI and DTI-SSFSE ADC values were .88 and .89 for 1.5 and 3 T, respectively, with good quantitative agreement according to the Bland-Altman method. Results indicate that DTI-SSFSE is a candidate as a clinical sequence for obtaining diffusion tensor images of the lumbar intervertebral discs with scan times shorter than 4 min.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of California-San Francisco, CA 94158, USA. jcarball@mrsc.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carballido-Gamio
authors.forename: Duan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Newitt
authors.forename: Eric T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Vigneron
authors.forename: Sharmila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Majumdar
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*