Table 1.
Minimal technical requirements for multiparametric prostate MRI according to the PI-RADS v.2.1 guidelines
|
T
2-weighted imaging (T2-WI) |
Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) |
Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Imaging planes | Same used for DWI and DCE | Same used for T2-WI and DCE | Same used for T2-WI and DWI |
| Slice thickness | 3 mm, no gap | ≤4 mm, no gap | 3 mm, no gap |
| Field of view | 12–20 cm a | 16–22 cm | 12–20 cm a |
| In-plane dimension | ≤0.7 mm (phase) x ≤ 0.4 mm (frequency) | ≤2.5 mm (phase and frequency) | ≤2 mm (phase and frequency) |
| Specific recommendations | |||
| T2-WI acquisition | Axial plane: either straight axial to the patient or in an oblique axial plane matching the long axis of the prostate | - | - |
| At least one additional orthogonal plane (sagittal and/or coronal) | - | - | |
| 3D axial as an adjunct to 2D acquisitions | - | - | |
| Low b-value | - | 0 (preferably 50)–100 sec/mm2 | - |
| Intermediate b-value | - | 800–1000 sec/mm2 | - |
| High b-value | - |
|
- |
| Temporal resolution | - | - | ≤15 s |
| Total observation rate | - | - | >2 min |
| Dose of GBCA | - | - | 0.1 mmol/kg |
| Injection rate | - | - | 2 - 3cc/s |
| Fat suppression/subtraction | - | - | Recommended |
Legend – T2-WI: T 2-weighted imaging; DWI: diffusion-weighted imaging; DCE: dynamic contrast enhanced; GBCA: Gadolinium-based contrast agent
a
to encompass the entire prostate gland and seminal vesicles