Abstract #0856

Deng J, Miller F, Larson A, Salem R, Rhee T, Li D, Stemmer A, Omary R

Single-shot diffusion-weighted EPI (DW-EPI) techniques are routinely used for neuroimaging applications due to relative insensitivity to bulk motion artifacts. However, these single-shot techniques can suffer significant image distortion, chemical shift artifacts, and reduced spatial resolution. The recently introduced DW-PROPELLER strategy offers the potential to overcome these limitations. The PROPELLER sequence uses a multi-shot acquisition strategy while permitting segmental phase correction to reduce bulk motion artifacts. Our study evaluated the feasibility of using the multi-shot DW-PROPELLER sequence for diffusion-weighted imaging of the abdomen. We tested the hypothesis that DW-PROPELLER provides accurate quantitative diffusion measurements while improving qualitative image quality compared to single-shot DW-EPI.