Meeting Banner
Abstract #1120

High b-Value Diffusion-Weighted Imaging on Human Spinal Cord in Vivo: Investigation of Signal Dependence on Diffusion Time

Novena Rangwala1, David Hackney1, David C. Alsop1

1Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States


STEAM EPI was used to acquire high b-value diffusion-weighted (DW) images on cervical spinal cord in vivo with diffusion times (Δ) of up to 1000 ms. Mono-exponential and diffusional kurtosis fitting were used to calculate parameters such as ADC and kurtosis. b~14750 s/mm2 images show clear distinctions between regions within the cord, and fitted model parameters show increasing consistency (lower standard deviations) with b-range, indicating the advantage of high b-range acquisitions. Tests of statistical significance did not indicate any dependence on Δ, however a dependence of parameters on b-range was observed, suggesting the need for models that better fit the data over extended b-value range.