Respiratory-Triggered Versus Breath-Hold Diffusion-Weighted MRI of Liver Lesions: Comparison of Image Quality and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Values (original) (raw)

iffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) of the abdomen has seen significant improvements since the earliest reports more than two decades ago [1]. Several publications have endorsed its usefulness for the detection and characterization of focal hepatic lesions [2-13], for assessing treatment response [14-16], and for the evaluation of diffuse liver diseases [17]. Unfortunately, DWI is yet to find a place in routine MRI of the liver, partly because the sequence lacks standardization [18]. DWI for liver imaging is typically a spinecho acquisition with motion-probing gradients on either side of the 180° refocusing pulse, followed by a single-shot echoplanar imaging readout. Unequivocal evidence supports the use of parallel imaging for liver DWI [19]; however, the same is not true for some other imaging parameters. DWI