Abstract
PurposeTo achieve 3D T2w imaging of the prostate with 1‐mm isotropic resolution in less than 3 min.MethodsWe devised and implemented a 3D T2‐prepared multishot balanced steady state free precession (T2prep‐bSSFP) acquisition sequence with a variable density undersampled trajectory combined with a total variation regularized iterative SENSE (TV‐SENSE) reconstruction. Prospectively undersampled images of the prostate (acceleration factor R = 3) were acquired in 11 healthy subjects in an institutional review board‐approved study. Image quality metrics (subjective signal‐to‐noise ratio, contrast, sharpness, and overall prostate image quality) were evaluated by 2 radiologists. Scores of the proposed accelerated sequence were compared using the Wilcoxon signed‐rank and Kruskal‐Wallis non‐parametric tests to prostate images acquired using a fully sampled 3D T2prep‐bSSFP acquisition, and with clinical standard 2D and 3D turbo spin echo (TSE) T2w acquisitions. A P‐value < 0.05 was considered significant.ResultsThe 3× accelerated 3D T2prep‐bSSFP images required a scan time (min:s) of 2:45, while the fully sampled 3D T2prep‐bSSFP and clinical standard 3D TSE images were acquired in 8:23 and 7:29, respectively. Image quality scores (contrast, sharpness, and overall prostate image quality) of the accelerated 3D T2prep‐bSSFP, fully sampled T2prep‐bSSFP, and clinical standard 3D TSE acquisitions along all 3 spatial dimensions were not significantly different (P > 0.05).Conclusion3D T2w images of the prostate with 1‐mm isotropic resolution can be acquired in less than 3 min, with image quality that is comparable to a clinical standard 3D TSE sequence but only takes a third of the acquisition time.
Highlights
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.[1]
Our results show that 3D multishot T2prep‐balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) acquisitions with variable density undersampling combined with TV‐SENSE reconstruction enable rapid T2w imaging of Isotropic high resolution T2w imaging of entire anatomical structures in vivo with sufficient volumetric coverage still poses a challenge, mainly due to the long scan time and lack of sufficient signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR)
Multiplanar, multislice 2D T2w turbo spin echo (TSE) imaging along 3 orthogonal planes is the current gold standard in prostate imaging, requiring a total scan time of over 7‐12 min to acquire all 3 orientations, each having a nonisotropic resolution of ~0.7 × 0.7 × 3 mm3.11,33 True 3D T2w imaging, using a 3D TSE sequence such as the SPACE requires a scan time of over 7 min, as seen in our study and previously.[11]
Summary
Scores of the proposed accelerated sequence were compared using the Wilcoxon signed‐rank and Kruskal‐Wallis non‐parametric tests to prostate images acquired using a fully sampled 3D T2prep‐bSSFP acquisition, and with clinical standard 2D and 3D turbo spin echo (TSE) T2w acquisitions. Image quality scores (contrast, sharpness, and overall prostate image quality) of the accelerated 3D T2prep‐bSSFP, fully sampled T2prep‐bSSFP, and clinical standard 3D TSE acquisitions along all 3 spatial dimensions were not significantly different (P > 0.05). Conclusion: 3D T2w images of the prostate with 1‐mm isotropic resolution can be acquired in less than 3 min, with image quality that is comparable to a clinical standard 3D TSE sequence but only takes a third of the acquisition time
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