Clinical feasibility of deep learning-accelerated single-shot turbo spin echo sequence with enhanced denoising for pancreas MRI at 3 Tesla

초록

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of the single-shot turbo spin echo sequence using deep learning-based reconstruction (DLR) (HASTE(DL)) with enhanced denoising for pancreas MRI. Methods: Patients who underwent pancreas MRI from March to April 2021 were included. Four T2-weighted images (non-FS conventional HASTE vs. HASTE(DL) with enhanced denoising and FS HASTE(DL) with enhanced denoising vs. HASTE(DL)) were acquired. Two readers independently assessed the image quality parameters of the two non-FS image sets using a 4-point Likert scale. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the cystic lesions and pancreatic parenchyma and the contrast-to-noise ratio between the cystic lesion and pancreatic parenchyma were calculated for all four image sets. The size of the largest cystic lesion and the diameter of pancreatic duct were measured. Results: A total of 63 patients were included, 48 (76.2 %) of whom had 136 pancreatic cystic lesion(s). The acquisition times of conventional HASTE and HASTE(DL) were 69 and 18 sec, respectively. All image quality parameters except artifacts for reader 2 were significantly better for HASTE(DL) with enhanced denoising. Those images also received scores for overall image quality that were significantly higher than those for the conventional HASTE (3.26 +/- 0.54 vs. 2.47 +/- 0.56, p < 0.001). The SNR of the pancreatic cystic lesion and pancreatic parenchyma was significantly higher in the HASTE(DL) with enhanced denoising (p < 0.001 for both). Inter-reader variability for measuring the pancreatic cyst size (ICC, 0.999 vs. 0.995; 95 % LoA, -0.13481 to 0.14743 vs. -0.24097 to 0.27404) and duct diameter (ICC, 0.994 vs. 0.969; 95 % LoA, -0.11684 to 0.36026 vs. -0.45544 to 0.44664) was lower in HASTE(DL) with enhanced denoising than in the conventional HASTE. Conclusion: HASTE(DL) with enhanced denoising could be useful for reducing the acquisition time of pancreas MRI while improving the image quality for the evaluation of pancreatic cystic lesions.

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