Comparison of image quality between simultaneous multi-slice single-shot EPI and readout-segmented EPI in diffusion-weighted imaging of prostate cancer: a retrospective study

Background: Simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) has received a lot of attention, but there is a lack of comparative studies on the image quality and diagnostic efficacy of simultaneous multi-slice single-shot echo planar imaging (SMS+SS-EPI) versus readout-segmented echo planar imaging (RS-EPI) in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of prostate cancer. Objectives: Comparison of image quality and diagnostic efficacy of SMS+SS-EPI and RS-EPI in DWI of prostate cancer. Methods: A retrospective study included 100 patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between January and August 2025 (48 cases with SMS+SS-EPI and 52 cases with RS-EPI). Two radiologists performed blinded 5-point subjective scoring and measured lesion signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), contrast (C), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. Using transperineal 12+X needle biopsy pathology as the gold standard, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted and ADC diagnostic performance was compared. Results: The RS-EPI group demonstrated superior performance in clarity (4.37 ± 0.69 vs. 3.98 ± 0.79), anatomical distortion (4.06 ± 0.80 vs. 3.69 ± 0.78), sharpness (4.04 ± 0.82 vs. 3.58 ± 0.74), detail display (4.21 ± 0.72 vs. 3.75 ± 0.70), and overall quality (4.33 ± 0.68 vs. 3.88 ± 0.70) were better than those of the SMS+SS-EPI group (P