Abstract #1687

A More Accurate and B-Value Independent Estimation of Diffusion Parameters Using Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging

Jelle Veraart¹, Wim Van Hecke^2,3, Dirk Poot¹, Ines Blockx⁴, Annemie Van Der Linden⁴, Marleen Verhoye⁴, Jan Sijbers¹

¹Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; ²Department of Radiology, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium; ³Department of Radiology, University Hospitals of the Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; ⁴Bio Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

Due to the presence of complex cellular microstructures in the brains white matter, the diffusion weighted signal attenuation with respect to the b-value can not accurately be approximated by the monoexponential function assumed by DTI. Because of this, the estimation of the diffusion coefficient and the associated diffusion parameters depend on the b-value of the acquisition. The recently proposed higher order DKI model fits the signal attenuation more properly as a result of which, as demonstrated in this study, a more accurate estimation of the diffusion parameters is obtained. In addition the parameter estimation appears b-value independent.