title: Comparison of diffusion-weighted MRI acquisition techniques for normal pancreas at 3.0 Tesla.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to optimize diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) acquisitions for normal pancreas at 3.0 Tesla.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty healthy volunteers were examined using four DWI acquisition techniques with b values of 0 and 600 s/mm2 at 3.0 Tesla, including breath-hold DWI, respiratory-triggered DWI, respiratory-triggered DWI with inversion recovery (IR), and free-breathing DWI with IR. Artifacts, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of normal pancreas were statistically evaluated among different DWI acquisitions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical differences were noticed in artifacts, SNR, and ADC values of normal pancreas among different DWI acquisitions by ANOVA (P <0.001). Normal pancreas imaging had the lowest artifact in respiratory-triggered DWI with IR, the highest SNR in respiratory-triggered DWI, and the highest ADC value in free-breathing DWI with IR. The head, body, and tail of normal pancreas had statistically different ADC values on each DWI acquisition by ANOVA (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The highest image quality for normal pancreas was obtained using respiratory-triggered DWI with IR. Normal pancreas displayed inhomogeneous ADC values along the head, body, and tail structures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Medical Imaging, Shanghai Institute of Medical Imaging, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. zengmengsu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Xiu-Zhong
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Tiantao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wei-Zhong
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Sheng-Xiang
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Meng-Su
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016477:Artifacts; D062485:Breath Holding; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010179:Pancreas / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012119:Respiration; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio