Effect of an Ultrahigh b Value of 3000 s/mm(2) and the Minimal Echo-time on Image Quality and the T2 Shine-through Effect in Diffusion-weighted Imaging of the Liver at 3T: Phantom and Clinical Pilot Studies

Purpose: To assess the effect of an ultrahigh b value of 3000 s/mm(2) and the minimal TE of 53 ms on image quality and T2 shine-through effect in liver diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) using a 3-Tesla MRI scanner with a peak gradient of 100 mT/m. Methods: At b values of 1000 and 3000 s/mm(2) and at the minimal (44–53 ms) and routine TEs (70 ms), DWI of our original phantom and liver DWI in 10 healthy volunteers and 26 patients with 35 hepatic hemangiomas were acquired with this scanner, and the quantified SNR of the phantom and the hepatic parenchyma in the volunteers and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the hepatic hemangiomas were calculated; two independent readers qualitatively graded the overall image quality in the volunteers and determined the presence or absence of the T2 shine-through effect related to the hemangiomas in the patients. We compared the SNR and subjective overall image quality between the minimal and routine TEs and the CNR and incidence of the T2 shine-through effect between b values of 1000 and 3000 s/mm(2). Inter-reader agreement was also evaluated. Results: The SNR at both b values was significantly higher, and the subjective overall image quality at a b value of 3000 s/mm(2) was significantly better at the minimal TE than at the routine TE (P < 0.05 for all). The CNR at both TEs and the incidence of the T2 shine-through effect at the minimal TE were significantly lower at a b value of 3000 s/mm(2) than at a b value of 1000 s/mm(2) (P < 0.05 for all). Inter-reader agreement was excellent. Conclusion: Liver DWI at the ultrahigh b value can reduce the T2 shine-through effect with improvement of image quality using the minimal TE.