Prostate Cancer MRI Center Designation (3-29-2023)

Katie Albus

Modified on: Wed, 29 Mar, 2023 at 11:33 AM

Revision History

The ACR Prostate Cancer MRI Center designation is unit-specific. All sites applying for this designation must meet the requirements outlined below, including having active ACR MR Accreditation in the body module on the designated unit(s).

Determine Eligibility

A facility is eligible to receive the ACR Prostate Cancer MRI Center designation if it meets the following basic criteria:

ACR MR accreditation in the body module
Imaging protocol meets minimum technical specifications and includes the use of an external (surface) pelvis phased-array coil
Utilization of Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (PI-RADS)
Coordination of prostate biopsy (fusion/in-bore referral)
Radiology/Pathology follow-up
MR scanner used for MR prostate studies must be 1.5T-3T
Personnel qualifications:
- MR prostate interpreting physicians must all meet the following:
  - Oversight, interpretation and reporting of 150 MR prostate examinations in the last 36 months, or interpretation and reporting of 100 MR prostate examinations in the last 36 months in a supervised situation*
  - Upon renewal, oversight, interpretation and reporting of 100 MR prostate exams in prior 36 months
- Radiologic technologists must meet the requirements of the MR accreditation program and have supervised experience in MR prostate exams
  - 50 MR prostate exams upon renewal
- Qualified medical physicist must meet the requirements of the MR accreditation program

* The supervising interpreting physician reviews, discusses, and confirms the diagnosis of the physician being supervised. The supervising interpreting physician does not have to be present at the time of initial interpretation. However, the supervising physician must review and, if necessary, correct the final interpretation. Supervision may also be accomplished through a formal course that includes a lecture format in addition to all of the following: 1) a database of previously performed and interpreted cases, 2) an assessment system traceable to the individual participant, and 3) direct feedback regarding the responses. Examples of suitable assessment systems are an audience response system, a viewbox or monitor based program or an individual CDROM or web-based instruction system.

How to Apply

Sites wishing to be an ACR Designated Prostate Cancer MR Center, initial or renewal cycle, will submit an application and testing in the updated accreditation database.

Becoming an ACR Designated Prostate Cancer MR Center will involve 2-steps:

Step 1: Submit an online application including information regarding your Prostate Cancer MRI Center characteristics (MR Prostate Supervising Physician and contact person), accredited MR unit information, and associated invoice/fee (see Fees and Payments).
Step 2: Submit an online testing packet to include clinical image data forms and 2 MR prostate studies. Volunteers and/or modules are not acceptable. At least one exam must have a prostate gland volume below 60 cc. Submitted exams must include a PI-RADS 4 or 5 lesion. Cases that have already been treated or performed for recurrence are not eligible.

After completing our review, the ACR will send a confidential report for each unit to the MR prostate supervising physician at the practice site. The report includes evaluation results, defines areas that can be improved, and provides recommendations for the facility.

Benefits of Designation

Once Prostate Cancer MRI Center designation has been achieved, the facility will receive a certificate and a URL to an exclusive online marketing kit customized for an ACR-Designated Prostate Cancer MRI Center. This will assist in promoting the designation to patients and referring physicians within the community. The online marketing toolkit materials include the PCMC logo that may be used on the accredited unit, reports, facility letterhead, website, advertising, etc., and customizable items for print and web use.

Facilities meeting the designation requirements will be identified as an ACR Designated Prostate Cancer MRI Center by a symbol on the ACR Accredited Facility Search page.

Designation Renewal

The ACR Prostate Cancer MRI Center designation will remain effective for the duration of the unit’s MR accreditation period, as long as the unit maintains ACR MR accreditation of the body module. Renewal of the designation will occur after the renewal of the MR accreditation is complete. Designation renewal requires submission of a new application, fees, clinical data form, and exam submission.

Payment Policy and Fees

Payment must be included with the application. For details, please see Fees and Payments. Applications received without payment will not be processed and will be returned if payment is not received within 30 days. Make checks payable to the American College of Radiology and reference your ACR MR modality identification number on the check or stub. Credit card payments using VISA, MasterCard and American Express are accepted.

Fees are nonrefundable and are subject to change.

MRI Exam Specific Parameters- Prostate

eADC maps are not acceptable substitutes for ADC maps If high B values are performed offline, a minimum of 3 images are required with slices at the apex, middle and base
Required Sequences	Category A: Pulse Sequence and Image Contrast	Category B: Anatomic Coverage and Imaging Planes	Category C: Spatial Resolution
Multiplanar T2W	2D T2W Fast-Spin echo (FSE) or Turbo-Spin echo (TSE) 3D T2W can be used as an adjunct to 2D	FOV: 12-20 cm to encompass the entire prostate and seminal vesicles Should include axial plane (either straight axial to the patient or in an oblique axial plane matching the long axis of the prostate) and a minimum of one additional orthogonal plane (i.e., sagittal and/or coronal)	Slice thickness: ≤ 3 mm Gap: 0 mm Pixel area: ≤0.6 mm²
Axial diffusion weighted images (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps	Free-breathing spin echo-echo planar imaging (EPI) combined with spectral fat saturation is recommended TE ≤ 90 msec TR ≥ 3000 msec b-values: Low, intermediate and high b-values required for ADC map creation (low b-value 0-100 sec/mm²and intermediate value 800-1000 sec/mm²); additional high b-values image (≥ 1400 sec/mm² ) should be acquired separately or calculated from images obtained with low and intermediate b-values < 1000 sec/mm² Note: Low, intermediate and high b-value images must be submitted as separate sequences	FOV 16-22 cm Axial (same as T2W)	Slice thickness: ≤ 4 mm Gap: 0 mm Pixel area: ≤ 10 mm²
Axial pre-contrast and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)	Must have pre-contrast images T1W gradient echo (GRE) 3D is preferred over 2D Fat suppression and/or subtractions are recommended TE < 5 msec; TR < 100 msec Contrast dose: 0.1 mmol/kg standard Gadolinium-based contrast agent Injection rate: 2-3 ml/sec starting with continuous image data acquisition (should be the same for all exams)	FOV: Should encompass the entire prostate gland and seminal vesicles Axial (same as T2W and DWI)	Slice thickness: ≤ 3 mm Gap: 0 mm Temporal resolution: ≤ 15 sec Aquisition time: ≥ 2 min Pixel area: ≤ 4.0 mm²

Revision History for this Article
Date	Section	Description of Revision(s)
11-9-2022	All	Article created; FAQs incorporated; No criteria changes
12-5-2022		Added exam specific parameters table
3-29-2023		Added personnel qualifications

Multiplanar T2W

Revision History

The ACR Prostate Cancer MRI Center designation is unit-specific. All sites applying for this designation must meet the requirements outlined below, including having active ACR MR Accreditation in the body module on the designated unit(s).

Determine Eligibility

A facility is eligible to receive the ACR Prostate Cancer MRI Center designation if it meets the following basic criteria:

ACR MR accreditation in the body module

Imaging protocol meets minimum technical specifications and includes the use of an external (surface) pelvis phased-array coil

Utilization of Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (PI-RADS)

Coordination of prostate biopsy (fusion/in-bore referral)

Radiology/Pathology follow-up

MR scanner used for MR prostate studies must be 1.5T-3T

Personnel qualifications:

MR prostate interpreting physicians must all meet the following:

Oversight, interpretation and reporting of 150 MR prostate examinations in the last 36 months, or interpretation and reporting of 100 MR prostate examinations in the last 36 months in a supervised situation*

Upon renewal, oversight, interpretation and reporting of 100 MR prostate exams in prior 36 months

Radiologic technologists must meet the requirements of the MR accreditation program and have supervised experience in MR prostate exams

50 MR prostate exams upon renewal

Qualified medical physicist must meet the requirements of the MR accreditation program

How to Apply

Sites wishing to be an ACR Designated Prostate Cancer MR Center, initial or renewal cycle, will submit an application and testing in the updated accreditation database.

Becoming an ACR Designated Prostate Cancer MR Center will involve 2-steps:

Step 1: Submit an online application including information regarding your Prostate Cancer MRI Center characteristics (MR Prostate Supervising Physician and contact person), accredited MR unit information, and associated invoice/fee (see Fees and Payments).

After completing our review, the ACR will send a confidential report for each unit to the MR prostate supervising physician at the practice site. The report includes evaluation results, defines areas that can be improved, and provides recommendations for the facility.

Benefits of Designation

Facilities meeting the designation requirements will be identified as an ACR Designated Prostate Cancer MRI Center by a symbol on the ACR Accredited Facility Search page.

Designation Renewal

Payment Policy and Fees

Fees are nonrefundable and are subject to change.

MRI Exam Specific Parameters- Prostate

eADC maps are not acceptable substitutes for ADC maps

If high B values are performed offline, a minimum of 3 images are required with slices at the apex, middle and base

Required Sequences

Category A: Pulse Sequence and Image Contrast

Category B: Anatomic Coverage and Imaging Planes

Category C: Spatial Resolution

Multiplanar T2W

2D T2W Fast-Spin echo (FSE) or Turbo-Spin echo (TSE)

3D T2W can be used as an adjunct to 2D

FOV: 12-20 cm to encompass the entire prostate and seminal vesicles

Should include axial plane (either straight axial to the patient or in an oblique axial plane matching the long axis of the prostate) and a minimum of one additional orthogonal plane (i.e., sagittal and/or coronal)

Slice thickness: ≤ 3 mm

Gap: 0 mm

Pixel area: ≤0.6 mm2

Axial diffusion weighted images (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps

Free-breathing spin echo-echo planar imaging (EPI) combined with spectral fat saturation is recommended

TE ≤ 90 msec

TR ≥ 3000 msec

Note: Low, intermediate and high b-value images must be submitted as separate sequences

FOV 16-22 cm

Axial (same as T2W)

Slice thickness: ≤ 4 mm

Gap: 0 mm

Pixel area: ≤ 10 mm2

Axial pre-contrast and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)

Must have pre-contrast images

T1W gradient echo (GRE)

3D is preferred over 2D

Fat suppression and/or subtractions are recommended

TE < 5 msec; TR < 100 msec

Contrast dose: 0.1 mmol/kg standard Gadolinium-based contrast agent

Injection rate: 2-3 ml/sec starting with continuous image data acquisition (should be the same for all exams)

FOV: Should encompass the entire prostate gland and seminal vesicles

Axial (same as T2W and DWI)

Slice thickness: ≤ 3 mm

Gap: 0 mm

Temporal resolution: ≤ 15 sec

Aquisition time: ≥ 2 min

Pixel area: ≤ 4.0 mm2

Revision History for this Article

Date

Section

Description of Revision(s)

11-9-2022

All

Article created; FAQs incorporated; No criteria changes

12-5-2022

Added exam specific parameters table

3-29-2023

Added personnel qualifications

Pixel area: ≤0.6 mm²

Pixel area: ≤ 10 mm²

Pixel area: ≤ 4.0 mm²