3D turbo field echo with diffusion-sensitized drivenequilibrium preparation technique (DSDE-TFE) versus echo planar imaging in evaluation of diffusivity of retinoblastoma

Objective: Compared with echoplanar (EP) diffusionweighted imaging (DWI), three-dimensional (3D) turbo field echo with diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium (DSDE-TFE) preparation DWI obtains images with higher spatial resolution and less susceptibility artefacts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of DSDE-TFE to visualize retinoblastomas compared with EP imaging. Methods: This retrospective study was approved by our institutional review boards. Eight patients with retinoblastomas (five males and three females; age range 0-87 months; median 21 months) were studied. For the DSDE-TFE, motion-probing gradients (MPGs) were conducted at one direction with b-values of 0 and 500smm22 and a voxel size of 1.531.531.5mm3. For the EP imaging, MPGs were conducted at three directions with b-values of 0 and 1000smm22 and a voxel size of 1.431.833mm3. The apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) of each lesion were measured. Statistical analyses were performed with Pearson R and linear correlation coefficients. Results: Intraocular lesions were clearly visualized on the DSDE-TFE without obvious geometrical distortion, whereas all showed deformity on EP images. On the DSDE-TFE, the ADCs of the lesions ranged from 0.8331023 to 2.9331023mm2 s21 (mean 6 standard deviation 1.7360.7331023mm2 s21). On the EP images, the ADCs ranged from 0.5331023 to 2.0331023mm2 s21 (0.9360.5331023mm2 s21). There was a significant correlation in ADC measurement between the DSDE-TFE and EP imaging (r50.81, p,0.05). Conclusion: With its insensitivity to field inhomogeneity and high spatial resolution, the 3D DSDE-TFE technique enabled us to assess diffusivity in retinoblastomas.