Amide Proton Transfer Imaging in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Pancreatic Parenchyma

Motivation: It is not known whether APT imaging is useful for the pancreas. In addition, the pancreas can be affected by the presence of fat deposition. Goal(s): To verify whether APT-Dixon can be used for the pancreas, and to verify the differences between APT-TSE and APT-Dixon sequences. Approach: APT-TSE and APT-Dixon sequences were compared for PDAC and the pancreatic parenchyma. APT signals within PDAC and pancreatic parenchyma were compared between APT-TSE and APT-Dixon sequences. Results: APT-Dixon showed a significantly higher signal compared to APT-TSE in PDAC and the pancreatic parenchyma. PDAC showed a lower APT signal compared to the pancreatic parenchyma with APT-Dixon. Impact: Pancreatic APT signal in APT-TSE is affected by the presence of fat deposition. Therefore, APT-Dixon is essential for analysis of the pancreatic APT signal. APT imaging in the pancreas may have the potential to assess the biological behaviour of PDAC.