Intravoxel Incoherent Motion (IVIM) MRI: Principles and Applications

Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) refers to translational movements which within a given voxel and during the measurement time present a distribution of speeds in orientation and/or amplitude. The concept was introduced in 1986 together with the foundation of diffusion MRI because it had been realized that flow of blood in capillaries (perfusion) would mimic a diffusion process and impact diffusion MRI measurements. IVIM-based perfusion MRI, which does not require injection of any tracer or contrast agent, has been first investigated in the brain, but is now experiencing a remarkable revival for applications throughout the body, especially for oncologic applications, from diagnosis to treatment monitoring.

This book addresses a number of highly topical aspects of the field from leading authorities, introducing the concepts behind IVIM MRI, outlining related methodological issues, and summarizing its current usage and potential for clinical applications. It also presents future research directions, both in terms of methodological development and clinical application fields, extending to new, non-perfusion applications of IVIM MRI, such as virtual MR elastography.

Denis Le Bihan is a radiologist and physicist and inventor of the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) concept and method. He is an MD and a PhD and is a member of the French Academy of Sciences and the French Academy of Technologies. He is also the founding director of NeuroSpin [an ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facility in Saclay, France] and a visiting professor of the Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, and the Japan National Institute of Physical Sciences, Okazaki.

Mami lima is a radiologist and assistant professor of diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine at the Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine and the Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University. She is an MD and a PhD and has published important articles about IVIM and diffusion MRI in the breast.

Christian Federau is a neuroradiologist and theoretical physicist and is working as an attending neuroradiologist at the University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland.

Eric E. Sigmund is an MRI physicist and associate professor of radiology at New York University (NYU) School of Medicine within NYU Langone Health in New York City.