Published in:
Open Access 01-01-2017 | Magnetic Resonance
Simultaneous assessment of cerebral blood volume and diffusion heterogeneity using hybrid IVIM and DK MR imaging: initial experience with brain tumors
Published in: European Radiology | Issue 1/2017
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Objectives
To investigate the feasibility of simultaneously assessing cerebral blood volume and diffusion heterogeneity using hybrid diffusion-kurtosis (DK) and intravoxel-incoherent-motion (IVIM) MR imaging.
Methods
Fifteen healthy volunteers and 30 patients with histologically proven brain tumours (25 WHO grade II–IV gliomas and five metastases) were recruited. On a 3-T system, diffusion-weighted imaging was performed with six b-values ranging from 0 to 1,700 s/mm2. Nonlinear least-squares fitting was employed to extract diffusion coefficient (D), diffusion kurtosis coefficient (K, a measure of the degree of non-Gaussian and heterogeneous diffusion) and intravascular volume fraction (f, a measure proportional to cerebral blood volume). Repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance and receiver operating characteristic analysis were performed to assess the ability of D/K/f in differentiating contrast-enhanced tumour from peritumoral oedema and normal-appearing white matter.
Results
Based on our imaging setting (baseline signal-to-noise ratio = 32–128), coefficient of variation was 14–20 % for K, ~6 % for D and 26–44 % for f. The indexes were able to differentiate contrast-enhanced tumour (Wilks’ λ = 0.026, p < 10-3), and performance was greatest with K, followed by f and D.
Conclusions
Hybrid DK IVIM imaging is capable of simultaneously measuring cerebral perfusion and diffusion indexes that together may improve brain tumour diagnosis.
Key Points
• Hybrid DK-IVIM imaging allows simultaneous measurement of K, D and f.
• Combined K/D/f better demarcates contrast-enhanced tumour than they do separately.
• f correlates better with contrast-leakage-corrected CBV
DSC
than with uncorrected CBV
DSC.