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Abstract #0841

Comparison of Breath-Hold & Free-Breathing Diffusion-Weighted Techniques for Liver MR Diffusivity in Healthy Volunteers & Patients

Mamak Eatesam1, Susam M. Noworolski1,2, Phyllis C. Tien3, Michelle Nystrom1, Jennifer L. Dodge4, Raphael B. Merriman5, Aliya Qayyum1

1Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, United States; 2Graduate Group in Bioengineering, UC San Francisco & Berkeley, San Francisco & Berkeley, CA, United States; 3Department of Medicine, UCSF & San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, United States; 4Department of Internal Medicine, UCSF, Fresno, CA, United States; 5Department of Medicine, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, United States


Liver apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were compared between breath-hold and free-breathing DWI in 12 healthy volunteers and 16 patients, (9 NAFLDs and 7 HCVs). BH ADC was lower than FB ADC, (p<0.01). BH and FB liver ADC showed a moderate correlation at best such that BH and FB techniques should not be used interchangeably. A higher correlation between FB and BH was observed in NAFLD patients which may reflect differences in disease distribution or reduced range of respiratory effort in NAFLD patients due to a higher BMI.