Improving whole body MRI in multiple myeloma: reduced acquisition time with a deep learning reconstruction for diffusion-weighted imaging at 3 Tesla-preliminary results
Judith Herrmann, Tübingen / Germany
Author Block: J. Herrmann, S. Gassenmaier, S. Ursprung, H. Almansour, S. Werner, S. Afat; Tübingen/DEPurpose: The evaluation of bone disease in multiple myeloma (MM) is an important topic in oncologic imaging. The objective was to determine the impact of a Deep Learning (DL)-reconstruction for whole body (WB) diffusion-weighted-imaging (DWI) for staging MM patients at 3 Tesla compared to standard DWI on reducing acquisition time and improving image quality.Methods or Background: Thirty patients (mean age, 61±11 years; range, 35–82; 16 men, 14 women) were consecutively included in this retrospective, monocentric study between February and August - Inclusion criteria were standard DWI (DWI_S) in clinically indicated MRI at 3 Tesla, and DL-reconstructed WB-DWI (DWI_DL). All patients were examined using the institution's standard MRI protocol for staging MM including DWI with two different b-values (0 s/mm² and 800 s/mm²) and calculation of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. Image quality was qualitatively assessed by two radiologists using a visual 5-point Likert scale (5=best).
Results or Findings: The overall image quality was evaluated to be significantly superior in DWI_DL as compared to DWI_S for b=0 s/mm², b=800 s/mm², and ADC maps by all readers (p<- 05). The extent of noise was evaluated to be significantly less in DWI_DL as compared to DWI_S for b=0 s/mm², b=800 s/mm², and ADC maps by all readers (p<0.001). No significant differences were found regarding artifacts, lesion detectability, sharpness of organs, and diagnostic confidence (p>0.05). Acquisition time for DWI_S was 7:45 min and simulated acquisition time for DWI_DL was 5:03 min.
Conclusion: DWI_DL enhances image quality for WB-MRI in staging of multiple myeloma patients at 3 Tesla. Simulation results suggest a potential reduction in acquisition time of 35 %, highlighting the promise of DL in advancing clinical efficiency.Limitations: Priliminary results of this study with a small sample size and retrospective design.Funding for this study: No funding was obtained for this study.Has your study been approved by an ethics committee? YesEthics committee - additional information: This study was approved by the University of Tuebingen