Ho M, Becker A, Ulbrich E, Manoliu A, Kuhn FP, Eberhard M, Filli L. Comparison of simultaneous multi-slice readout-segmented EPI and conventional single-shot EPI for diffusion tensor imaging of the ulnar nerve.
Heliyon 2018;
4:e00853. [PMID:
30364500 PMCID:
PMC6197173 DOI:
10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00853]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose
To compare conventional single-shot echo planar imaging (ss-EPI) and simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) readout-segmented EPI (rs-EPI) for magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the ulnar nerve.
Materials and methods
This study was approved by the local ethics committee. Ten healthy volunteers (mean age 30.4 ± 4.01 years; range 25–36 years) underwent 3T DTI of the ulnar nerve at the level of the cubital tunnel. DTI was performed based on ss-EPI as well as SMS rs-EPI sequences. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), image quality, and DTI parameters in the ulnar nerve (fractional anisotropy, FA; mean diffusivity, MD) were compared between the two sequences by two independent radiologists.
Results
Acquisition time was 5:12 min for ss-EPI and 5:18 min for SMS rs-EPI. Between the two sequences, no significant differences were found for derived DTI measures FA (p = 0.11) and MD values (p = 0.93). Compared to conventional ss-EPI, SMS rs-EPI yielded significantly less ghosting artifacts (p = 0.04) but inferior nerve depiction (p = 0.001) and worse overall image quality (p = 0.008).
Conclusion
SMS rs-EPI is not advantageous over ss-EPI in DTI of the ulnar nerve at the level of the cubital tunnel.
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