Diffusion-weighted imaging of normal fibroglandular breast tissue: influence of microperfusion and fat suppression technique on the apparent diffusion coefficient

The influence of microperfusion and fat suppression technique on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values obtained with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) of normal fibroglandular breast tissue was investigated. Seven volunteers (14 breasts) were scanned using diffusion weighting factors (b values) up to 1600 s/mm(2) and the four different fat suppression techniques: STIR, fat saturation, SPAIR, and Water Excitation. The relationship between the logarithmic DW attenuation curves and b was linear for b values up to 600 s/mm(2) (R-2>0.999). Small differences were noted between the ADC values obtained with the various fat suppression methods, especially at the higher b values. Water Excitation had the highest mean SNR, exceeding STIR (p=0.03) though not significantly different from fat saturation and SPAIR. In conclusion, the ADC of fibroglandular breast tissue is not influenced by microperfusion and Water Excitation is recommended because it yielded the best SNR values. These factors may be crucial in the differentiation between benign and malignant lesions. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.