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Apparent diffusion coefficient is highly reproducible on preclinical imaging systems: Evidence from a seven‐center multivendor study
Author(s) -
Doblas Sabrina,
Almeida Gilberto S.,
Blé FrançoisXavier,
Garteiser Philippe,
Hoff Benjamin A.,
McIntyre Dominick J.O.,
Wachsmuth Lydia,
Chenevert Thomas L.,
Faber Cornelius,
Griffiths John R.,
Jacobs Andreas H.,
Morris David M.,
O'Connor James P.B.,
Robinson Simon P.,
Van Beers Bernard E.,
Waterton John C.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.24955
Subject(s) - reproducibility , repeatability , coefficient of variation , effective diffusion coefficient , nuclear medicine , standard deviation , imaging phantom , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , interquartile range , biomedical engineering , radiology , mathematics , statistics , surgery
Purpose To evaluate between‐site agreement of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements in preclinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. Materials and Methods A miniaturized thermally stable ice‐water phantom was devised. ADC (mean and interquartile range) was measured over several days, on 4.7T, 7T, and 9.4T Bruker, Agilent, and Magnex small‐animal MRI systems using a common protocol across seven sites. Day‐to‐day repeatability was expressed as percent variation of mean ADC between acquisitions. Cross‐site reproducibility was expressed as 1.96 × standard deviation of percent deviation of ADC values. Results ADC measurements were equivalent across all seven sites with a cross‐site ADC reproducibility of 6.3%. Mean day‐to‐day repeatability of ADC measurements was 2.3%, and no site was identified as presenting different measurements than others (analysis of variance [ANOVA] P = 0.02, post‐hoc test n.s.). Between‐slice ADC variability was negligible and similar between sites ( P = 0.15). Mean within‐region‐of‐interest ADC variability was 5.5%, with one site presenting a significantly greater variation than the others ( P = 0.0013). Conclusion Absolute ADC values in preclinical studies are comparable between sites and equipment, provided standardized protocols are employed. J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2015;42:1759–1764.