Whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI for staging lymphoma at 3.0T: comparative study with MR imaging at 1.5T

ObjectiveTo compare 3T and 1.5T Whole Body Diffusion Weighted MRI (WB-DW-MRI) in patients at initial diagnosis of lymphoma.MethodsTwenty-three patients were included. We performed a 3.0T and 1.5T WB-DW-MRI with 18 F-Fluoride Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography (PET-CT) as the reference standard. Image quality, lymph node, organ involvement, and Ann Arbor staging were evaluated.ResultsMajor artifacts were found in 2/23 patients at 3.0T. Concordance was excellent between 1.5T and 3T for nodal (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (CCI)=0.995), organ involvement (CCI=0.990), and Ann Arbor stages (k=0.967).ConclusionA 3T WB-DW-MRI yields accurate assessment and staging of lymphoma comparable to 1.5T.