Isotropic diffusion-weighted MR imaging with tetrahedral gradients in the upper abdomen.

A tetrahedral gradient diffusion sequence for body imaging for a 1.5T scanner was implemented, and we compared the quality of images acquired with the new technique and with the conventional orthogonal technique. Image quality was better using the tetrahedral technique in terms of signal homogeneity in the right liver lobe and signal loss artifact in the left lobe, and the technique was considered useful for magnetic resonance imaging in the upper abdomen.