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Diffusion-weighted echo planar MR imaging of the neck at 3 T using integrated shimming: comparison of MR sequence techniques for reducing artifacts caused by magnetic-field inhomogeneities

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Abstract

Objective

Our objective was to compare available techniques reducing artifacts in echo planar imaging (EPI)-based diffusion-weighed magnetic resonance imaging MRI (DWI) of the neck at 3 Tesla caused by B0-field inhomogeneities.

Materials and methods

A cylindrical fat–water phantom was equipped with a Maxwell coil allowing for additional linear B0-field variations in z-direction. The effect of increasing strength of this superimposed gradient on image quality was observed using a standard single-shot EPI-based DWI sequence (sEPI), a zoomed single-shot EPI sequence (zEPI), a readout-segmented EPI sequence (rsEPI), and an sEPI sequence with integrated dynamic shimming (intEPI) on a 3-Tesla system. Additionally, ten volunteers were examined over the neck region using these techniques. Image quality was assessed by two radiologists. Scan durations were recorded.

Results

With increasing strength of the external gradient, marked distortions, signal loss, and failure of fat suppression were observed using sEPI, zEPI, and rsEPI. These artifacts were markedly reduced using intEPI. Significantly better in vivo image quality was also observed using intEPI compared with the other techniques. Scan time of intEPI was similar to sEPI and zEPI and shorter than rsEPI.

Conclusion

The use of integrated 2D shim and frequency adjustment for EPI-based DWI results in a significant improvement in image quality of the head/neck region at 3 Tesla. Combining integrated shimming with rsEPI or zEPI can be expected to provide additional improvements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Sergios Gatidis, Jakob Weiß, Konstantin Nikolaou & Mike Notohamiprodjo

  2. Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany

    Hansjörg Graf, Alto Stemmer & Berthold Kiefer

  3. Department of Radiology, Experimental Radiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Petros Martirosian

  4. Department of Radiology, University Hospital Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Sergios Gatidis

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  1. Sergios Gatidis
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  2. Hansjörg Graf
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Correspondence to Sergios Gatidis.

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Conflict of interest

A Stemmer and B Kiefer are employees of Siemens Healthcare GmbH. Beyond that, the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all study participants.

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Gatidis, S., Graf, H., Weiß, J. et al. Diffusion-weighted echo planar MR imaging of the neck at 3 T using integrated shimming: comparison of MR sequence techniques for reducing artifacts caused by magnetic-field inhomogeneities. Magn Reson Mater Phy 30, 57–63 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-016-0582-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-016-0582-z

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