Quantitative, organ-specific interscanner and intrascanner variability for 3 T whole-body magnetic resonance imaging in a multicenter, multivendor study

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Item Type:	Article
Title:	Quantitative, organ-specific interscanner and intrascanner variability for 3 T whole-body magnetic resonance imaging in a multicenter, multivendor study
Creators Name:	Schlett, C.L., Hendel, T., Hirsch, J., Weckbach, S., Caspers, S., Schulz-Menger, J., Ittermann, T., von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff, F., Ladd, S.C., Moebus, S., Stroszczynski, C., Fischer, B., Leitzmann, M., Kuhl, C., Pessler, F., Hartung, D., Kemmling, Y., Hetterich, H., Amunts, K., Guenther, M., Wacker, F., Rummeny, E., Kauczor, H.U., Forsting, M., Völzke, H., Hosten, N., Reiser, M.F. and Bamberg, F.
Abstract:	INTRODUCTION: Whole-body magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is increasingly implemented in population-based cohorts and clinical settings. However, to quantify the variability introduced by the different scanners is essential to make conclusions about clinical and biological data, and relevant for internal/external validity. Thus, we determined the interscanner and intrascanner variability of different 3 T MR scanners for whole-body imaging. METHODS: Thirty volunteers were enrolled to undergo multicentric, interscanner as well intrascanner imaging as part of the German National Cohort pilot studies. A comprehensive whole-body MR protocol was installed at 9 sites including 7 different MR scanner models by all 4 major vendors. A set of quantitative, organ-specific measures (n = 20; eg, volume of brain's gray/white matter, pulmonary trunk diameter, vertebral body height) were obtained in blinded fashion. Reproducibility was determined using mean weighted relative differences and intraclass correlation coefficients. RESULTS: All participants (44 +/- 14 years, 50% female) successfully completed the imaging protocol except for two because of technical issues. Mean scan time was 2 hours and 32 minutes and differed significantly across scanners (range, 1 hour 59 minutes to 3 hours 12 minutes). A higher reproducibility of obtained measurements was observed for intrascanner than for interscanner comparisons (intraclass correlation coefficients, 0.80 +/- 0.17 vs 0.60 +/- 0.31, P = 0.005, respectively). In the interscanner comparison, mean relative difference ranged from 1.0% to 53.2%. Conversely, in the intrascanner comparison, mean relative difference ranged from 0.1% to 15.6%. There were no statistical differences for intrascanner and interscanner reproducibility between the different organ foci (all P >/= 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: While whole-body MR imaging-derived, organ-specific parameters are generally associated with good to excellent reproducibility, smaller differences are obtained when using identical MR scanner models by a single vendor.
Keywords:	Whole-Body Imaging, Population-Based Imaging, German National Cohort, Reproducibility, Variability, 3 T Magnetic Resonance Tomography
Source:	Investigative Radiology
ISSN:	0020-9996
Publisher:	Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Volume:	51
Number:	4
Page Range:	255-265
Date:	April 2016
Official Publication:	https://doi.org/10.1097/RLI.0000000000000237
PubMed:	View item in PubMed

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