Clinical Feasibility of High-Resolution Contrast-Enhanced Dynamic T1-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Upper Abdomen Using Compressed Sensing

Abstract

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical feasibility of high-resolution contrast-enhanced dynamic T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) using compressed sensing (CS) in magnetic resonance imaging. Methods This study retrospectively included 35 patients who underwent dynamic T1WI using volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) with CS reconstruction (CS-VIBE) and 35 patients with conventional VIBE for comparison. Two observers assessed the liver and pancreas edges, hepatic artery, motion artifacts, and overall image quality. Quantitative analysis was performed by measuring signal intensity and image noise. Results The results showed that CS-VIBE achieved significantly better anatomic delineation of the liver and pancreas edges and hepatic artery clarity than VIBE (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in motion artifacts in dynamic phases and overall image quality. The signal intensities and INs of CS-VIBE were higher than VIBE. Conclusions High-resolution dynamic T1WI using CS provides better anatomic delineation with comparable or better overall image quality than conventional VIBE.