title: DCE-MRI of the human kidney using BLADE: a feasibility study in healthy volunteers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the degree of motion compensation in the kidney using two different sampling methods, each in their optimized settings: A BLADE k-space acquisition technique and a routinely used kidney perfusion acquisition scheme (TurboFLASH).
  
  
  METHODS
  Dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance examinations were performed in 16 healthy volunteers on a 3 Tesla MR-system with two parameterizations of the BLADE sequence and the standard reference acquisition scheme. Signal intensity enhanced time curves were analyzed with a mathematical model and a widely published separable compartment model on cortex regions to assess robustness versus motion artifacts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BLADE-measurements with a strip-width of 32 lines constituted the smallest mean values for the sum of squared errors (6065 ± 4996) compared with the measurement with a strip-width of 64 lines (13849 ± 14079) or the standard TurboFLASH (11884 ± 8076). Calculations concerning goodness of the fit of the applied compartment model yielded an overall average of the Akaike Fit Error of 732 ± 141 for BLADE (646 ± 149 for a strip-width of 32 lines, 816 ± 53 for 64 lines) and 1626 ± 303 for the TurboFLASH (TFL) sequence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated that renal dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging using BLADE k-space sampling with a strip-width of 32 is significantly less sensitive to motion than a widely published Turbo-Flash sequence with nearly similar parameters.
authors: Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany. florian.lietzmann@medma.uni-heidelberg.de
authors: Florian
authors: F
authors: Lietzmann
authors: Frank G
authors: FG
authors: Zöllner
authors: Ulrike I
authors: UI
authors: Attenberger
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Haneder
authors: Henrik J
authors: HJ
authors: Michaely
authors: Lothar R
authors: LR
authors: Schad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D016477:Artifacts; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D007668:Kidney / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009038:Motion; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult