Multi-Parametric MRI Protocol for Abdominal Imaging

MRI was performed on a Philips Achieva 1.5 T system (Philips Healthcare, Best, The Netherlands). In addition to routine T2-weighted high-resolution fast spin echo (T2w) images, an extended echo-planar imaging based DW MRI sequence with seven b-values of b = 0, 25, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 1300 s/mm² and a dynamic multi-echo contrast MRI sequence with three echoes with echo times (TE) = 4.6, 13.9 and 23.2 ms was collected. The latter was acquired using a split dynamic acquisition^{9 (link)}, using a bolus injection of 0.2 ml/kg body weight of Dotarem® (279.3 mg/ml, Guerbert Roissy, France) directly followed by a 20 ml saline solution. Further details regarding the image acquisitions are found in Supplementary Table S1 and in^{11 (link),17 (link)}. To reduce bowel movement, glucagon (1 mg/ml, 1 ml intramuscularly) and Buscopan® (10 mg/ml, 1 ml intravenously) were administered before scanning. The Buscopan® injection was repeated before the acquisition of the dynamic images.