Ultra-high b-value DWI in Rectal Cancer: Image Quality Assessment and Prediction of Lymph Node Metastasis Based on Radiomic Features

Motivation: The potential benefits of ultra-high b-value DWI have not yet been elucidated for clinical values of rectal cancer. Goal(s): To evaluate image quality and lymph node metastasis in rectal cancer on multi-b value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWIb1000, DWIb2000 and DWIb3000). Approach: The image quality of three sets of DWI was measured by two radiologists independently. The radiomics model was trained on 70%, and tested on the remainderResults: The DWIb2000 exhibited excellent lesion conspicuity and was able to determine the outcome of of lymph node metastasis rectal with a predictive value of 0.728Impact: The DWIb2000 had great potential in improving detection of rectal cancer and was helpful to stratify the risk of lymph node metastasis of rectal cancer.