# Diffusion MRI of the Abdomen

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2021 · $1,616,189

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 The overall goal of this proposal is to develop novel diffusion-weighted (DW)-MRI methods to enable
high image quality and improved quantification of diffusion properties in the abdomen.
 Diffusion-weighted (DW)-MRI has a unique ability to probe tissue microstructure without the need for
ionizing radiation or intravenous contrast agents. DW-MRI of the abdomen is utilized in detection, staging, and
treatment surveillance of malignancies, and has shown great promise in various other applications, including
for the assessment of fibrosis in the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and other organs. However, despite its enormous
potential, DW-MRI in the abdomen has been limited by two unaddressed major technical challenges.
 The first major challenge is motion in the abdomen. The presence of cardiovascular related motion
leads to signal loss in affected tissues (eg: left lobe of the liver, pancreas). This signal loss also results in
biased and imprecise (poor test-retest repeatability and reproducibility) quantitative measures of diffusion, such
as the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), rendering these values highly unreliable as a quantitative imaging
biomarker. The presence of respiratory motion leads to blurring and poor quantification. The second major
challenge is severe image distortion. DW-MRI commonly relies on single-shot echo planar imaging (ssEPI)
acquisitions, where the entire image is acquired following a single excitation. Importantly, ssEPI has limited
spatial resolution and introduces severe image distortions in complex magnetic susceptibility environments,
such as in the abdomen. Although “low-distortion” acquisitions such as multi-shot (ms)-EPI and non-EPI
strategies are effective in the brain, these methods remain unreliable in the abdomen due to the presence of
substantial motion-induced inter-shot errors.
 We have recently proposed several novel methods to address these major challenges, including: i)
optimized motion-robust DW waveforms to address cardiovascular motion and signal loss; ii) free-breathing
DW-MRI with motion-corrected averaging to address respiratory motion; and iii) the combination of these
motion-robust methods with state-of-the-art msEPI methods. In this proposal, we will develop and validate
these methods in order to: Obtain reliable motion-robust (Aim 1) and low-distortion (Aim 2) DW-MRI in the
abdomen, and validate these methods for the assessment of liver metastases (Aim 3). Upon successful
completion, these methods will have broad applications, including the assessment of cancer, fibrosis and other
disease processes in various abdominal organs such as the liver, pancreas, kidneys, bowel and beyond.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10098140
- **Project number:** 1R01EB030497-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Diego Hernando
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,616,189
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-15 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10098140

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10098140, Diffusion MRI of the Abdomen (1R01EB030497-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10098140. Licensed CC0.

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