TABLE 1.

Technical Considerations for Acquisition of DWI of the Abdomen and Pelvis

Factor	Suggestion
Underlying pulse sequence	Free-breathing or respiratory-triggered (for abdominal applications) fat-suppressed single-shot echoplanar imaging
TR	≥3000 msec
TE	Shortest possible (≤90 msec)
Matrix	At least 128×128 (higher for prostate)
Slice thickness	3–7 mm (3 mm for prostate, matching T2WI)
Parallel imaging reduction factor	2
Number of b-values	At least 2 b-values needed; one or two additional intermediate b-values may be obtained, particularly if performing quantitative ADC measurements
Minimum b-value	<100 s/mm2
Maximum b-value	800–1000 s/mm2; further ultra high b-values in range of 1400–2000 sec/mm2 may be acquired or computed are routinely advised in the prostate
Number of directions	Three directions
SNR considerations	Ensure adequate number of averages and acquisition time to provide sufficient SNR on maximal b-value images
Acquisition plane	Axial (abdomen), axial oblique (prostate), axial or coronal (kidneys), axial or sagittal (female pelvis)
Postprocessing	Inline generation of ADC map using standard monoexponential fit is appropriate for routine clinical applications