Reduction of ringing artifacts in the arterial phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced dynamic MR imaging.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed what MR imaging parameters affected ringing artifacts during the arterial phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced dynamic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.


METHODS
We tested various parameters, including imaging matrices, choice of either sequential or elliptical centric phase-encoding scheme, scanning time, and contrast injection rate using new simulation software on a personal computer and visually evaluated clinical MR images retrospectively using a 4-point scale to assess ringing artifacts.


RESULTS
The simulation study revealed that square matrices, short scanning time, slow injection rate, and sequential view ordering effectively reduced ringing artifacts, findings confirmed in clinical practice using gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging. Significantly fewer artifacts resulted using a slow injection rate (P<0.05) and using square matrices in the arterial (P<0.05), portal (P<0.01), and hepatocytic (P<0.05) phases.


CONCLUSIONS
Choice of square matrix, slower injection rate, shorter scanning time, and sequential view ordering could reduce ringing artifacts.
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. t-mri@tt.rim.or.jp
Akihiro
A
Tanimoto
Nobuya
N
Higuchi
Akihisa
A
Ueno
D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D016477:Artifacts; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D007269:Injections, Intra-Arterial; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult
D003287:Contrast Media; C073590:gadolinium ethoxybenzyl DTPA; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA