Fast dixon-based multisequence and multiplanar MRI for whole-body detection of cancer metastases

Purpose To develop and demonstrate the feasibility of multisequence and multiplanar MRI for whole-body cancer detection. Materials and Methods Two fast Dixon-based sequences and a diffusion-weighted sequence were used on a commercially available 1.5 T scanner for whole-body cancer detection. The study enrolled 19 breast cancer patients with known metastases and in multistations acquired whole-body axial diffusion-weighted, coronal T2-weighted, axial/sagittal pre- and postcontrast T1-weighted, as well as triphasic abdomen images. Three radiologists subjectively scored Dixon images of each series for overall image quality and fat suppression uniformity on a 4-point scale (1 = poor, 2 = fair, 3 = good, and 4 = excellent). Results Eighteen of the 19 patients completed the whole-body MRI successfully. The mean acquisition time and overall patient table time were 46 ± 3 and 69 ± 5 minutes, respectively. The average radiologists' scores for overall image quality and fat suppression uniformity were both 3.4 ± 0.5. The image quality was consistent between patients and all completed whole-body examinations were diagnostically adequate. Conclusion Whole-body MRI offering essentially all the most optimal tumor-imaging sequences in a typical 1-hour time slot can potentially become an appealing “one-stop-shop” for whole-body cancer imaging. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;29:1154–1162. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.