Is a 3-Minute Knee MRI Protocol Sufficient for Daily Clinical Practice? A SuperResolution Reconstruction Approach Using AI and Compressed Sensing.

Journal: Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)
Published Date: May 9, 2025

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess whether a 3-min 2D knee protocol can meet the needs for clinical application if using a SuperResolution reconstruction approach. In this prospective study, a total of 20 volunteers underwent imaging of the knee using a 3T MRI scanner (Philips Ingenia Elition X 3.0T, Philips). The imaging protocol, consisting of a fat-saturated 2D proton density sequence in coronal, sagittal, and transverse orientations, as well as a sagittal T1-weighted sequence, was acquired with standard and ultra-low resolution. The standard sequences were reconstructed using an AI-assisted Compressed SENSE method (SmartSpeed). The ultra-low-resolution sequences have been reconstructed using a vendor-provided prototype. Four experienced readers (two radiologists and two orthopedic surgeons) evaluated the sequences for image quality, anatomical structures, and incidental pathologies. The consensus evaluation of two different experienced radiologists specialized in musculoskeletal imaging served as the gold standard. The acquisition time for the entire protocol was 11:01 min for standard resolution and 03:36 min for ultra-low resolution. In the overall assessment, CS-SuperRes-reconstructed sequences showed slightly improved accuracy and increased specificity compared to the standard CS-AI method (0.87 vs. 0.86 and 0.9 vs. 0.87, respectively), while the standard method exhibited a higher sensitivity (0.73 vs. 0.57). Overall, 24 out of 40 pathologies were detected in the ultra-low-resolution images compared to 26 in the standard images. The CS-SuperRes method enables a 2D knee protocol to be completed in 3 min, with improved accuracy compared to the clinical standard.

Authors

  • Robert Hahnfeldt
    Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
  • Robert Terzis
    Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
  • Thomas Dratsch
    Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany. t.dratsch@mac.comn.
  • Lajos Maximilian Basten
    Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50923 Cologne, Germany.
  • Philip Rauen
    Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
  • Johannes Oppermann
    Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50923 Cologne, Germany.
  • David Grevenstein
    Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50923 Cologne, Germany.
  • Jan Paul Janssen
    Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. jan.janssen@uk-koeln.de.
  • Nour El-Hoda Abou Zeid
    Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50923 Cologne, Germany.
  • Kristina Sonnabend
    Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
  • Christoph Katemann
    From the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology (L.M.B., A.I., D.K., U.A., C.C.P., A.M.S., J.A.L.), Quantitative Imaging Laboratory Bonn (QILaB) (L.M.B., A.I., D.K., A.M.S., J.A.L.), Institute for Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology (L.W.), and Department of Urology (P.K., J.E.), University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; Philips MR Clinical Science, Best, the Netherlands (J.M.P.); and Philips Market DACH, Hamburg, Germany (C.K., O.M.W.).
  • Stephan Skornitzke
    Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
  • David Maintz
    Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
  • Jonathan Kottlors
    Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
  • Grischa Bratke
    Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
  • Andra-Iza Iuga
    Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Kerpener Straße 62, 50937, Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: andra.iuga@uk-koeln.de.

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