Ali Y. Oner MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Levent Aggunlu, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Sergin Akpek MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Turgut Emin Tali, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Azim Celik, Abstract Co-Author: Employee, General Electric Company

To prospectively evaluate the SNR improvement in the diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) of the appendicular skeleton, with the use of a newly developed non-Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (non-CPMG) single-shot fast spin-echo (ssFSE) sequence, and its affect on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements.

This study was approved by our institutional review board. Thirty two patients were unrolled following written informed consent. DWI of the bone was obtained with an echo planar imaging (EPI) based sequence followed by a non-CPMG ssFSE technique. SNR and ADC values were measured over a lesion free right femoral head. A quality score was assigned for each set of images to assess the image quality. When a bone lesion was present, contrast to noise ratio (CNR) and ADC were also measured. Student t tests were used for statistical analysis.

Mean SNR values were respectively 9.89±2.2 and 81.68±4.87 for EPI and non-CPMG ssFSE DWI. SNR values measured in DWI using parallel imaging were found to be significantly higher (p-3 mm2/sec and 0.29±0.15x 10-3 mm2/sec for EPI and non-CPMG ssFSE DWI. Quality scores were found to be higher for the non-CPMG ssFSE DWI technique (p<0.05). Overall lesion CNR was found to be higher in DWI with non-CPMG ssFSE.

The non-CPMG ssFSE technique provides a significant improvement to current EPI based DWI technique and has the potential to be a powerfull tool in imaging of the appendicular skeleton.

Non-CPMGssFSE technique improves image quality, SNR and reduces susceptibility artifacts in DWI, which is a new and promising method in outlining the undergoing process of various skeletal pathologies

Oner, A, Aggunlu, L, Akpek, S, Tali, T, Celik, A, Diffusion-weighted Imaging of the Appendicular Skeleton with a Non-CARR–PURCELL–MEIBOOM–GILL Single-Shot Fast Spin-Echo Sequence.  Radiological Society of North America 2007 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 25 - November 30, 2007 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2007/5002967.html