Andreas Lemke1, Frederik Bernd Laun2,
Dirk Simon3, Bram Stieltjes4, Lothar Rudi Schad1
1Department of Computer Assisted
Clinical Medicine, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; 2Department
of Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg,
Germany; 3Software Development for Integrated Diagnostics and
Therapy, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg; 4Department of
Radiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
The
DWI signal was measured as a function of the b-value in the pancreas using
three different echo times (TE=50, 70, 100 ms) from six healthy volunteers. A
modified equation incorporating relaxation effects was introduced and
parameters derived from this equation were compared to the original IVIM
equation. The perfusion fraction f increased significantly with increasing
echo time (P=0.0025) whereas the relaxation time compensated perfusion fraction
f' showed no significant dependence on TE (P=0.31). The relaxation time
compensation had no influence on the diffusion coefficients.