Deep-Learning-Based Reconstruction of Single-Breath-Hold 3 mm HASTE Improves Abdominal Image Quality and Reduces Acquisition Time: A Quantitative Analysis
<b>Purpose:</b> Breath-hold T2-weighted half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo (HASTE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the upper abdomen with a slice thickness below 5 mm suffers from high image noise and blurring. The purpose of this prospective study was to improve im...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Current Oncology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/32/1/30 |
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| Summary: | <b>Purpose:</b> Breath-hold T2-weighted half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo (HASTE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the upper abdomen with a slice thickness below 5 mm suffers from high image noise and blurring. The purpose of this prospective study was to improve image quality and accelerate imaging acquisition by using single-breath-hold T2-weighted HASTE with deep learning (DL) reconstruction (DL-HASTE) with a 3 mm slice thickness. <b>Method:</b> MRI of the upper abdomen with DL-HASTE was performed in 35 participants (5 healthy volunteers and 30 patients) at 3 Tesla. In a subgroup of five healthy participants, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) analysis was used after DL reconstruction to identify the smallest possible layer thickness (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 mm). DL-HASTE was acquired with a 3 mm slice thickness (DL-HASTE-3 mm) in 30 patients and compared with 5 mm DL-HASTE (DL-HASTE-5 mm) and with standard HASTE (standard-HASTE-5 mm). Image quality and motion artifacts were assessed quantitatively using Laplacian variance and semi-quantitatively by two radiologists using five-point Likert scales. <b>Results:</b> In the five healthy participants, DL-HASTE-3 mm was identified as the optimal slice (SNR 23.227 ± 3.901). Both DL-HASTE-3 mm and DL-HASTE-5 mm were assigned significantly higher overall image quality scores than standard-HASTE-5 mm (Laplacian variance, both <i>p</i> < 0.001; Likert scale, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Compared with DL-HASTE-5 mm (1.10 × 10<sup>−5</sup> ± 6.93 × 10<sup>−6</sup>), DL-HASTE-3 mm (1.56 × 10<sup>−5</sup> ± 8.69 × 10<sup>−6</sup>) provided a significantly higher SNR Laplacian variance (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and sharpness sub-scores for the intestinal tract, adrenal glands, and small anatomic structures (bile ducts, pancreatic ducts, and vessels; <i>p</i> < 0.05). Lesion detectability was rated excellent for both DL-HASTE-3 mm and DL-HASTE-5 mm (both: 5 [IQR4–5]) and was assigned higher scores than standard-HASTE-5 mm (4 [IQR4–5]; <i>p</i> < 0.001). DL-HASTE reduced the acquisition time by 63–69% compared with standard-HASTE-5 mm (<i>p</i> < 0.001). <b>Conclusions</b>: DL-HASTE is a robust abdominal MRI technique that improves image quality while at the same time reducing acquisition time compared with the routine clinical HASTE sequence. Using ultra-thin DL-HASTE-3 mm results in an even greater improvement with a similar SNR. |
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| ISSN: | 1198-0052 1718-7729 |