Comparison of single-shot, FOCUS single-shot, MUSE, and FOCUS MUSE diffusion weighted imaging for pulmonary lesions: a pilot study

Motivation: DWI has been used for pulmonary lesion assessment. But clinical single-shot (SS) EPI DWI for lung is prone to susceptibility distortions. FOCUS SS, MUSE, and FOCUS MUSE are improved EPI-based techniques which are less sensitive to susceptibility artifacts. However, their performance for lung DWI remains unknown. Goal(s): Performance comparison among the four sequences for lung DWI. Approach: 44 patients were recruited, and each was imaged with the four sequences. Image quality and diagnostic performance of benign and malignant lesion discrimination were compared. Results: FOCUS MUSE had least distortions and best diagnostic performance. Impact: Application of FOCUS MUSE would be beneficial for lung lesion assessment.