A Comparison of the Prospective Acquisition Correction Technique with Respiratory Triggering Technique in a 3-D MR Pancreaticobiliary System Angiography: A Focus on Normal Healthy Subjects

Abstract

This study aimed at comparing the quality of images produced using the prospective acquisition correction (PACE) technique based on a navigator with that produced by the respiratory triggering (RT) technique based on a wireless respiratory triggering cushion. Twenty normal healthy people underwent magnetic resonance (MR) cholangiopancreatography based on a three-dimensional (3-D) respiratory triggering technique using either the PACE or RT techniques. For quantitative analysis, the signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios were calculated. For qualitative analysis, the morphology of the anatomical structures, artifacts due to respiration and the definition of cholangiopancreatography were evaluated based on the following five-point scale. The excellence of the images was also evaluated independently by two specialists in abdominal imaging and two radiological technicians, whose results were analyzed statistically using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. With regard to the morphology of the anatomical structures and sharpness of the pancreaticobiliary tract, the PACE technique had higher scores than the RT one (P = 0.07). However, there were no significant differences in artifacts due to respiration between the two techniques (P = 0.774). The signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios were significantly higher in the PACE technique (P < 0.05), with the exception of the common hepatic duct (P = 0.085). A comparison was made between the PACE and RT techniques in respiratory triggering 3-D MR cholangiopancreatography, which showed that the PACE technique produces a higher image quality.