Prospective comparison of Image quality and diagnostic performance of focal liver lesions between 0.55T MRI and conventional 1.5T MRI

Motivation: MRI is crucial for diagnosing liver lesions. Improved MRI tools, such as 0.55T MRI with deep learning (DL) reconstruction, are anticipated to be applied and validated. Goal(s): We aims to compare the image quality and diagnostic performance with/without DL at 0.55T and 1.5T MRI for liver lesions. Approach: We prospectively collected MRI data from 12 patients, non-contrast enhancement at 0.55T with/without using DL and at 1.5T without using DL-based reconstruction, using enhanced 1.5T scans as the reference standard. Results: 0.55T-DL images demonstrated Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and subjective ratings comparable to or better than those of 1.5T-nonDL, with no significant difference in diagnostic performance. Impact: Fast 0.55T-DL MRI can enhance the detection and diagnosis of focal liver lesions in the upper abdomen.