Fast dixon-based multisequence and multiplanar MRI for whole-body detection of cancer metastases.
OBJECTIVE
To develop and demonstrate the feasibility of multisequence and multiplanar MRI for whole-body cancer detection.


METHODS
Two fast Dixon-based sequences and a diffusion-weighted sequence were used on a commercially available 1.5 T scanner for whole-body cancer detection. The study enrolled 19 breast cancer patients with known metastases and in multistations acquired whole-body axial diffusion-weighted, coronal T2-weighted, axial/sagittal pre- and postcontrast T1-weighted, as well as triphasic abdomen images. Three radiologists subjectively scored Dixon images of each series for overall image quality and fat suppression uniformity on a 4-point scale (1 = poor, 2 = fair, 3 = good, and 4 = excellent).


RESULTS
Eighteen of the 19 patients completed the whole-body MRI successfully. The mean acquisition time and overall patient table time were 46 +/- 3 and 69 +/- 5 minutes, respectively. The average radiologists' scores for overall image quality and fat suppression uniformity were both 3.4 +/- 0.5. The image quality was consistent between patients and all completed whole-body examinations were diagnostically adequate.


CONCLUSIONS
Whole-body MRI offering essentially all the most optimal tumor-imaging sequences in a typical 1-hour time slot can potentially become an appealing "one-stop-shop" for whole-body cancer imaging.
Ma
Jingfei
J
Department of Imaging Physics, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. jma@di.mdacc.tmc.edu
Costelloe
Colleen M
CM
Madewell
John E
JE
Hortobagyi
Gabriel N
GN
Green
Marjorie C
MC
Cao
Guang
G
Sun
Fei
F
Kundra
Vikas
V
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D051598:Whole Body Imaging / Q000379:methods*