Advanced breast diffusion-weighted imaging - what are the next steps? - A proposal from the EUSOBI International Breast Diffusion-weighted Imaging working group

Sep 22, 2026

EUSOBI International Breast Diffusion-weighted Imaging (DWI) working group evaluated current and future applications of advanced DWI in breast imaging. The study combined a literature search with a survey of EUSOBI members to assess clinical use and potential of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Results showed increasing publications but limited adoption: 32% used IVIM, 17% used non-Gaussian kurtosis approaches, and 8% used DTI. The work calls for further research, standardization, and simplification plus guidelines and recommendations for transition into routine practice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Clinical relevance statement

Key Points

Introduction

Honda et al. European Radiology (2025) 35:2130–2140 [https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-024-1](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-024-1)1010-0 SPECIAL REPORT Open Access Advanced breast diffusion-weighted imaging: what are the next steps? A proposal from the EUSOBI International Breast Diffusion-weighted Imaging working group Maya Honda 1,2, Eric E. Sigmund3, Denis Le Bihan4,5,6, Katja Pinker7, Paola Clauser8, Dimitrios Karampinos9, Savannah C. Partridge 10, Eva Fallenberg9, Laura Martincich 11, Pascal Baltzer9, Ritse M. Mann 12, Julia Camps-Herrero 13 and Mami Iima 1,14* , on behalf of the EUSOBI International Breast Diffusion-Weighted Imaging working group Abstract Objectives This study by the EUSOBI International Breast Diffusion-weighted Imaging (DWI) working group aimed to evaluate the current and future applications of advanced DWI in breast imaging. Methods A literature search and a comprehensive survey of EUSOBI members to explore the clinical use and potential of advanced DWI techniques and a literature search were involved. Advanced DWI approaches such as intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were assessed for their current status and challenges in clinical implementation. Results Although a literature search revealed an increasing number of publications and growing academic interest in advanced DWI, the survey revealed limited adoption of advanced DWI techniques among EUSOBI members, with 32% using IVIM models, 17% using non-Gaussian diffusion techniques for kurtosis analysis, and only 8% using DTI. A variety of DWI techniques are used, with IVIM being the most popular, but less than half use it, suggesting that the study identiﬁed a gap between the potential beneﬁts of advanced DWI and its actual use in clinical practice. Conclusion The ﬁndings highlight the need for further research, standardization and simpliﬁcation to transition advanced DWI from a research tool to regular practice in breast imaging. The study concludes with guidelines and recommendations for future research directions and clinical implementation, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in this ﬁeld to improve breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Clinical relevance statement Advanced DWI in breast imaging, while currently in limited clinical use, offers promising improvements in diagnosis, staging, and treatment monitoring, highlighting the need for standardized protocols, accessible software, and collaborative approaches to promote its broader integration into routine clinical practice. A list of authors and their afﬁliations appears at the end of the paper. *Correspondence: Mami Iima [mamiiima1@gmail.com](mamiiima1@gmail.com) Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2024 . Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4 . 0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) . Key Points ● Increasing number of publications on advanced DWI over the last decade indicates growing research interest. ● EUSOBI survey shows that advanced DWI is used primarily in research, not extensively in clinical pr

FAQs

What is the main objective of this EUSOBI advanced breast DWI proposal?

To evaluate current and future applications of advanced DWI in breast imaging and identify how well these techniques translate into clinical practice.

Which advanced DWI techniques were assessed, and how were they evaluated?

The study assessed IVIM, diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) using a literature search and a comprehensive survey of EUSOBI members regarding clinical use and challenges.

What did the survey reveal about real-world adoption among EUSOBI members?

Adoption was limited despite growing academic interest: 32% reported using IVIM models, 17% used non-Gaussian techniques for kurtosis analysis, and only 8% used DTI.

Sep 22, 2026

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