Inter-scanner reproducibility of brain multifrequency MR elastography

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWO_ST_ABSBackgroundC_ST_ABSBrain magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is an emerging quantitative neuroimaging technique that provides noninvasive maps of brain tissue viscoelasticity. For multi-center applications, robust cross-site reproducibility across scanner platforms is essential but remains insufficiently characterized. PurposeTo evaluate cross-site reproducibility of brain multifrequency MRE measurements between two MRI scanner platforms using harmonized protocols. Study TypeProspective cross-site test-retest reproducibility study. Study PopulationSixteen healthy adult volunteers (7 men, 9 women; mean age 32.2 {+/-} 8.0 years). Field Strength/Sequence3 T systems (Siemens MAGNETOM Cima.X and MAGNETOM Vida at two sites) with identical brain multifrequency MRE sequences, echo-planar imaging (EPI) readout, and standardized driver configuration. AssessmentEach participant underwent one MRE acquisition at each site. Shear wave speed (SWS) and penetration rate (PR) were quantified in whole brain, white matter, subcortical gray matter, and cortical gray matter regions using atlas-based region-of-interest (ROI) analysis in MNI152 space. Statistical TestsAbsolute relative difference (ARD), reproducibility coefficient (RDC), coefficient of variation (CV), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Bland-Altman plots were calculated to determine cross-site reproducibility. ResultsCross-site reproducibility was robust for major brain regions, with region-averaged ARD values for SWS ranging from 1.38 % to 3.43 % and for PR from 3.20 % to 7.25 % across tissues. RDCs for SWS ranged from 0.02 m.s-1 to 0.07 m.s-1, and for PR from 0.03 m.s-1 to 0.08 m.s-1. Coefficients of variation for SWS ranged from 0.82 % to 1.93 %, and for PR from 2.21 % to 4.09 %. ICC values for SWS ranged from 0.66 to 0.84 and for PR from 0.67 to 0.88. Bland-Altman analysis showed minimal systematic bias and tight limits of agreement. ConclusionBrain multifrequency MRE demonstrates robust reproducibility across distinct 3 T platforms when using harmonized acquisition and reconstruction. These results support the use of brain MRE as a quantitative biomarker and provide benchmark reproducibility metrics for future research.