Evaluation of Diffusivity in the Anterior Lobe of the Pituitary Gland: 3D Turbo Field Echo with Diffusion-Sensitized Driven-Equilibrium Preparation |
| |
| Authors: | A. Hiwatashi T. Yoshiura O. Togao K. Yamashita K. Kikuchi K. Kobayashi M. Ohga S. Sonoda H. Honda M. Obara |
| |
| Affiliation: | aFrom the Departments of Clinical Radiology (A.H., T.Y., O.T., K.Y., K. Kikuchi, H.H.);bMolecular Imaging and Diagnosis (O.T.), Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan;cDivision of Radiological Technology (K. Kobayashi, M.O., S.S.), Department of Medical Technology, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan;dMR Clinical Science (M.O.), Philips Electronics Japan, Tokyo, Japan. |
| |
| Abstract: | BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:3D turbo field echo with diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium preparation is a non–echo-planar technique for DWI, which enables high-resolution DWI without field inhomogeneity–related image distortion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo in evaluating diffusivity in the normal pituitary gland.MATERIALS AND METHODS:First, validation of diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo was attempted by comparing it with echo-planar DWI. Five healthy volunteers were imaged by using diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo and echo-planar DWI. The imaging voxel size was 1.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 mm3 for diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo and 1.5 × 1.9 × 3.0 mm3 for echo-planar DWI. ADCs measured by the 2 methods in 15 regions of interests (6 in gray matter and 9 in white matter) were compared by using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The ADC in the pituitary anterior lobe was then measured in 10 volunteers by using diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo, and the results were compared with those in the pons and vermis by using a paired t test.RESULTS:The ADCs from the 2 methods showed a strong correlation (r = 0.79; P < .0001), confirming the accuracy of the ADC measurement with the diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium sequence. The ADCs in the normal pituitary gland were 1.37 ± 0.13 × 10−3 mm2/s, which were significantly higher than those in the pons (1.01 ± 0.24 × 10−3 mm2/s) and the vermis (0.89 ± 0.25 × 10−3 mm2/s, P < .01).CONCLUSIONS:We demonstrated that diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo is feasible in assessing ADC in the pituitary gland.DWI is widely used to diagnose cerebrovascular diseases, intracranial tumors, and inflammation.1–10 However, it is difficult to evaluate skull base structures by the most common imaging technique used with echo-planar (EP)-DWI. Previous studies have revealed the efficacy of DWI for skull base tumors such as pituitary adenoma; however, they are mostly limited to macroadenomas large enough to calculate the ADC by using EP sequences.3–7 Compared with EP-DWI, 3D diffusion-sensitized driven-equilibrium turbo field echo (DSDE-TFE) obtained DWI has higher spatial resolution and fewer susceptibility artifacts.11 To our knowledge, to date, the diffusivity of the normal pituitary gland has not been fully evaluated, especially in those glands surrounded by aerated sphenoid sinuses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of DSDE-TFE in evaluating diffusivity in the normal pituitary gland. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
