Michoux, N. F., Ceranka, J. W., Vandemeulebroucke, J., Peeters, F., Lu, P., Absil, J., Triqueneaux, P., Collette, L., Willekens, I., Brussaard, C., Debeir, O., Hahn, S., Raeymaekers, H., de Mey, J., Metens, T., & Lecouvet, F. E. (2021). Repeatability and reproducibility of ADC measurements: a prospective multicenter whole-body-MRI study. European Radiology, 31(7), 4514-4527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-07522-0

@article{da55b443b7cc486fba33757ea0241c2c,
title = "Repeatability and reproducibility of ADC measurements: a prospective multicenter whole-body-MRI study",
abstract = "OBJECTIVES: Multicenter oncology trials increasingly include MRI examinations with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) quantification for lesion characterization and follow-up. However, the repeatability and reproducibility (R\&R) limits above which a true change in ADC can be considered relevant are poorly defined. This study assessed these limits in a standardized whole-body (WB)-MRI protocol.METHODS: A prospective, multicenter study was performed at three centers equipped with the same 3.0-T scanners to test a WB-MRI protocol including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Eight healthy volunteers per center were enrolled to undergo test and retest examinations in the same center and a third examination in another center. ADC variability was assessed in multiple organs by two readers using two-way mixed ANOVA, Bland-Altman plots, coefficient of variation (CoV), and the upper limit of the 95\% CI on repeatability (RC) and reproducibility (RDC) coefficients.RESULTS: CoV of ADC was not influenced by other factors (center, reader) than the organ. Based on the upper limit of the 95\% CI on RC and RDC (from both readers), a change in ADC in an individual patient must be superior to 12\% (cerebrum white matter), 16\% (paraspinal muscle), 22\% (renal cortex), 26\% (central and peripheral zones of the prostate), 29\% (renal medulla), 35\% (liver), 45\% (spleen), 50\% (posterior iliac crest), 66\% (L5 vertebra), 68\% (femur), and 94\% (acetabulum) to be significant.CONCLUSIONS: This study proposes R\&R limits above which ADC changes can be considered as a reliable quantitative endpoint to assess disease or treatment-related changes in the tissue microstructure in the setting of multicenter WB-MRI trials.KEY POINTS: • The present study showed the range of R\&R of ADC in WB-MRI that may be achieved in a multicenter framework when a standardized protocol is deployed. • R\&R was not influenced by the site of acquisition of DW images. • Clinically significant changes in ADC measured in a multicenter WB-MRI protocol performed with the same type of MRI scanner must be superior to 12\% (cerebrum white matter), 16\% (paraspinal muscle), 22\% (renal cortex), 26\% (central zone and peripheral zone of prostate), 29\% (renal medulla), 35\% (liver), 45\% (spleen), 50\% (posterior iliac crest), 66\% (L5 vertebra), 68\% (femur), and 94\% (acetabulum) to be detected with a 95\% confidence level.",
keywords = "Cancer, Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, Disease progression, Reproducibility of results, Whole-body imaging",
author = "Michoux, \{Nicolas F\} and Ceranka, \{Jakub W\} and Jef Vandemeulebroucke and Frank Peeters and Pierre Lu and Julie Absil and Perrine Triqueneaux and Laurence Collette and Inneke Willekens and Carola Brussaard and Olivier Debeir and Stephan Hahn and Hubert Raeymaekers and \{de Mey\}, Johan and Thierry Metens and Lecouvet, \{Fr{\'e}d{\'e}ric E\}",
year = "2021",
month = jul,
doi = "10.1007/s00330-020-07522-0",
language = "English",
volume = "31",
pages = "4514--4527",
journal = "European Radiology",
issn = "0938-7994",
publisher = "Springer Verlag",
number = "7",
}