Using patient-generated health data more efficient and effectively to facilitate the implementation of value-based healthcare in the EU - Innovation report.

Healthcare services and products are rapidly changing due to the development of new technologies, offering relevant solutions to improve patient outcomes. Patient-Generated Health Data and knowledge-sharing across the European Union (EU) has a great potential of making healthcare provision more effective and efficient by putting the patient at the centre of the healthcare process. While such initiatives have been taken before, a uniting and overarching approach is still missing.

Deep learning super-resolution reconstruction for fast and high-quality cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Objectives: To compare standard-resolution balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) cine images with cine images acquired at low resolution but reconstructed with a deep learning (DL) super-resolution algorithm.

Materials And Methods: Cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) datasets (short-axis and 4-chamber views) were prospectively acquired in healthy volunteers and patients at normal (cine: 1.89 × 1.

State-of-the-Art Quantification of Liver Iron With MRI-Vendor Implementation and Available Tools.

The role of MRI to estimate liver iron concentration (LIC) for identifying patients with iron overload and guiding the titration of chelation therapy is increasingly established for routine clinical practice. However, the existence of multiple MRI-based LIC quantification techniques limits standardization and widespread clinical adoption. In this article, we review the existing and widely accepted MRI-based LIC estimation methods at 1.

Partial Fourier in the presence of respiratory motion in prostate diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of respiratory motion in terms of signal loss in prostate diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and to evaluate the usage of partial Fourier in a free-breathing protocol in a clinically relevant b-value range using both single-shot and multi-shot acquisitions.

Methods: A controlled breathing DWI acquisition was first employed at 3 T to measure signal loss from deep breathing patterns. Single-shot and multi-shot (2-shot) acquisitions without partial Fourier (no pF) and with partial Fourier (pF) factors of 0.

Motion-induced phase-corrected homodyne reconstruction for partial Fourier single-shot diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging of the liver.

Partial Fourier encoding is popular in single-shot (ss) diffusion-weighted (DW) echo planar imaging (EPI) because it enables a shorter echo time (TE) and, hence, improves the signal-to-noise-ratio. Motion during diffusion encoding causes k-space shifting and dispersion, which compromises the quality of the homodyne reconstruction. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the artifacts in homodyne reconstruction of partial Fourier ss-DW-EPI data in the presence of motion-induced phase and proposes the motion-induced phase-corrected homodyne (mpc-hdyne) reconstruction method to ameliorate these artifacts.

Appropriate pancreatic phase image acquisition by free-breathing dynamic contrast-enhanced pancreatic MRI using stack-of-stars radial sampling and Compressed SENSE.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of a free-breathing sequence (4D FreeBreathing) combined with Compressed SENSE in dynamic contrast-enhanced pancreatic MRI and compare it with a breath-holding sequence (eTHRIVE).

Method: Patients who underwent pancreatic MRI, either eTHRIVE or 4D FreeBreathing, from April 2022 to November 2023 were included in this retrospective study. Two radiologists, who were unaware of the scan sequence, independently and randomly reviewed the images at the precontrast, pancreatic, portal venous, and equilibrium phases and assigned confidence scores for motion and streaking artifacts, pancreatic sharpness, and overall image quality using a 5-point scale.

Retrospective Motion Artifact Reduction by Spatial Scaling of Liver Diffusion-Weighted Images.

Cardiac motion causes unpredictable signal loss in respiratory-triggered diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) of the liver, especially inside the left lobe. The left liver lobe may thus be frequently neglected in the clinical evaluation of liver DWI. In this work, a data-driven algorithm that relies on the statistics of the signal in the left liver lobe to mitigate the motion-induced signal loss is presented.

Deep Learning Super-Resolution Reconstruction for Fast and Motion-Robust T2-weighted Prostate MRI.

Background Deep learning (DL) reconstructions can enhance image quality while decreasing MRI acquisition time. However, DL reconstruction methods combined with compressed sensing for prostate MRI have not been well studied. Purpose To use an industry-developed DL algorithm to reconstruct low-resolution T2-weighted turbo spin-echo (TSE) prostate MRI scans and compare these with standard sequences.

Prospectively Accelerated T2-Weighted Imaging of the Prostate by Combining Compressed SENSE and Deep Learning in Patients with Histologically Proven Prostate Cancer.

Background: To assess the performance of prospectively accelerated and deep learning (DL) reconstructed T2-weighted (T2w) imaging in volunteers and patients with histologically proven prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods: Prospectively undersampled T2w datasets were acquired with acceleration factors of 1.7 (reference), 3.

State-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging sequences for pediatric body imaging.

Longer examination time, need for anesthesia in smaller children and the inability of most children to hold their breath are major limitations of MRI in pediatric body imaging. Fortunately, with technical advances, many new and upcoming MRI sequences are overcoming these limitations. Advances in data acquisition and k-space sampling methods have enabled sequences with improved temporal and spatial resolution, and minimal artifacts.

Motion compensated renal diffusion weighted imaging.

Purpose: To assess the effect of respiratory motion and cardiac driven pulsation in renal DWI and to examine asymmetrical velocity-compensated diffusion encoding waveforms for robust ADC mapping in the kidneys.

Methods: The standard monopolar Stejskal-Tanner pulsed gradient spin echo (pgse) and the asymmetric bipolar velocity-compensated (asym-vc) diffusion encoding waveforms were used for coronal renal DWI at 3T. The robustness of the ADC quantification in the kidneys was tested with the aforementioned waveforms in respiratory-triggered and breath-held cardiac-triggered scans at different trigger delays in 10 healthy subjects.

Deep learning-based acceleration of Compressed Sense MR imaging of the ankle.

Objectives: To evaluate a compressed sensing artificial intelligence framework (CSAI) to accelerate MRI acquisition of the ankle.

Methods: Thirty patients were scanned at 3T. Axial T2-w, coronal T1-w, and coronal/sagittal intermediate-w scans with fat saturation were acquired using compressed sensing only (12:44 min, CS), CSAI with an acceleration factor of 4.

Long-Term Stability of Gradient Characteristics Warrants Model-Based Correction of Diffusion Weighting Bias.

The study aims to test the long-term stability of gradient characteristics for model-based correction of diffusion weighting (DW) bias in an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for multisite imaging trials. Single spin echo (SSE) DWI of a long-tube ice-water phantom was acquired quarterly on six MR scanners over two years for individual diffusion gradient channels, along with B0 mapping, as a function of right-left (RL) and superior-inferior (SI) offsets from the isocenter. Additional double spin-echo (DSE) DWI was performed on two systems.

Dynamic Liver Magnetic Resonance Imaging During Free Breathing: A Feasibility Study With a Motion Compensated Variable Density Radial Acquisition and a Viewsharing High-Pass Filtering Reconstruction.

Objective: Robust dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images are crucial for accurate detection and categorization of focal liver lesions in liver/abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). As optimal dynamic imaging usually requires multiple breath-holds, its inherent susceptibility to motion artifacts frequently results in degraded image quality in incompliant patients. Because free-breathing imaging may overcome this drawback, the intention of this study was to evaluate a dynamic MRI sequence acquired during free breathing using the variable density, elliptical centric golden angle radial stack-of-stars radial sampling scheme, which so far has not been implemented in 4-dimensional applications.

Gradient nonlinearity correction in liver DWI using motion-compensated diffusion encoding waveforms.

Unlabelled: OBJECTIVE : To experimentally characterize the effectiveness of a gradient nonlinearity correction method in removing ADC bias for different motion-compensated diffusion encoding waveforms.

Methods: The diffusion encoding waveforms used were the standard monopolar Stejskal-Tanner pulsed gradient spin echo (pgse) waveform, the symmetric bipolar velocity-compensated waveform (sym-vc), the asymmetric bipolar velocity-compensated waveform (asym-vc) and the asymmetric bipolar partial velocity-compensated waveform (asym-pvc). The effectiveness of the gradient nonlinearity correction method using the spherical harmonic expansion of the gradient coil field was tested with the aforementioned waveforms in a phantom and in four healthy subjects.

Noise reduction in diffusion weighted MRI of the pancreas using an L1-regularized iterative SENSE reconstruction.

Objectives: To prospectively evaluate an L1 regularized iterative SENSE reconstruction (L1-R SENSE) to eliminate band-like artifacts frequently seen with parallel imaging (SENSE) at high acceleration factors in high resolution diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the pancreas.

Methods: Fourteen patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) underwent respiratory triggered DWI ss-EPI at a resolution of 2.5 × 2.

Empirical validation of gradient field models for an accurate ADC measured on clinical 3T MR systems in body oncologic applications.

Purpose: To empirically corroborate vendor-provided gradient nonlinearity (GNL) characteristics and demonstrate efficient GNL bias correction for human brain apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) across 3T MR systems and spatial locations.

Methods: Spatial distortion vector fields (DVF) were mapped in 3D using a surface fiducial array phantom for individual gradient channels on three 3T MR platforms from different vendors. Measured DVF were converted into empirical 3D GNL tensors and compared with their theoretical counterparts derived from vendor-provided spherical harmonic (SPH) coefficients.

Comparisons between image quality and diagnostic performance of 2D- and breath-hold 3D magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography at 3T.

Objectives: To compare the image quality and diagnostic performance of 2D MRCP to those of breath-hold 3D MRCP using compressed sensing (CS-MRCP) and gradient and spin-echo (GRASE-MRCP) at 3T.

Methods: From January to November 2018, patients who underwent pancreatobiliary MRI including 2D MRCP and two breath-hold 3D MRCP using CS and GRASE at 3T were included. Three radiologists independently evaluated image quality, motion artifact, and pancreatic cyst conspicuity.

Qualitative and Quantitative Comparison of Respiratory Triggered Reduced Field-of-View (FOV) Versus Full FOV Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI) in Pancreatic Pathologies.

Rationale And Objectives: To investigate the effects of a reduced field-of-view (rFOV) acquisition in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the pancreas.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 153 patients who underwent routine clinical MRI work-up including respiratory-triggered diffusion-weighted single-shot echo-planar imaging (DWI) with full field-of-view (fFOV, 3 × 3 × 4 mm voxel size) and reduced field-of-view (rFOV, 2.5 × 2.

Diffusion tensor imaging and tractography for preoperative assessment of benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic value of fiber tractography and diffusivity analysis generated from 3D diffusion-weighted (DW) sequences for preoperative assessment of benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors.

Method: MR imaging at 3 T was performed in 22 patients (mean age 41.9 ± 17.

Retrospective Correction of ADC for Gradient Nonlinearity Errors in Multicenter Breast DWI Trials: ACRIN6698 Multiplatform Feasibility Study.

The presented analysis of multisite, multiplatform clinical oncology trial data sought to enhance quantitative utility of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) metric, derived from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, by reducing technical interplatform variability owing to systematic gradient nonlinearity (GNL). This study tested the feasibility and effectiveness of a retrospective GNL correction (GNC) implementation for quantitative quality control phantom data, as well as in a representative subset of 60 subjects from the ACRIN 6698 breast cancer therapy response trial who were scanned on 6 different gradient systems. The GNL ADC correction based on a previously developed formalism was applied to trace-DWI using system-specific gradient-channel fields derived from vendor-provided spherical harmonic tables.

MRI Assessment of Swallow Muscle Activation with the Swallow Exercise Aid and with Conventional Exercises in Healthy Volunteers: An Explorative Biomechanical Study.

Swallowing muscle strength exercises are effective in restoring swallowing function. In order to perform the exercises with progressive load, the swallow exercise aid (SEA) was developed. Precise knowledge on which muscles are activated with swallowing exercises, especially with the SEA, is lacking.

Rapid Imaging: Recent Advances in Abdominal MRI for Reducing Acquisition Time and Its Clinical Applications.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an important role in abdominal imaging. The high contrast resolution offered by MRI provides better lesion detection and its capacity to provide multiparametric images facilitates lesion characterization more effectively than computed tomography. However, the relatively long acquisition time of MRI often detrimentally affects the image quality and limits its accessibility.

Acceleration of chemical shift encoding-based water fat MRI for liver proton density fat fraction and T2* mapping using compressed sensing.

Objectives: To evaluate proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and T2* measurements of the liver with combined parallel imaging (sensitivity encoding, SENSE) and compressed sensing (CS) accelerated chemical shift encoding-based water-fat separation.

Methods: Six-echo Dixon imaging was performed in the liver of 89 subjects. The first acquisition variant used acceleration based on SENSE with a total acceleration factor equal to 2.