Optimisation of b-values for the accurate estimation of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI in patients with metastatic melanoma.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To establish optimised diffusion weightings ('b-values') for acquisition of whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI (WB-DWI) for estimation of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in patients with metastatic melanoma (MM). Existing recommendations for WB-DWI have not been optimised for the tumour properties in MM; therefore, evaluation of acquisition parameters is essential before embarking on larger studies.

Methods

Retrospective clinical data and phantom experiments were used. Clinical data comprised 125 lesions from 14 examinations in 11 patients with multifocal MM, imaged before and/or after treatment with immunotherapy at a single institution. ADC estimates from these data were applied to a model to estimate the optimum b-value. A large non-diffusing phantom was

SUBMITTER: Knill AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9889461 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature