Optimization of the B-Sampling for Bi-Exponential Analysis of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging

Jeff Lei Zhang¹, Eric E. Sigmund¹, Hersh Chandarana¹, Henry Rusinek¹, Hua Guo¹, Pippa Storey¹, Qun Chen¹, Vivian S. Lee¹

Synopsis: To improve precision of bi-exponential parameters of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), we proposed a method for optimizing b values for DWI acquisition. Monte Carlo simulation was performed to explore whether the optimized b values would improve the bi-exponential parameters ability in differentiating benign and malignant renal lesions. Results showed that, using the optimized b values, the differentiability of perfusion fraction for the two types of lesions improved by 22%7%, compared with uniformly distributed b values. The method should be applicable to DWI of any other tissues or organs where bi-exponential analysis is used.