title: Fat-suppression failure artifacts simulating pathology on frequency-selective fat-suppression MR images of the head and neck.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe fat-suppression failure artifacts and to caution against their misinterpretation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Magnetic-susceptibility artifacts were studied in a phantom model and the results were compared to MR images obtained in clinical cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Artifacts manifested themselves as regions of focal fat-suppression failure and appeared as bright signals without geometric distortions at magnetic-susceptibility interfaces along the static field (z) direction. The location and extent of these artifacts were independent of either frequency or phase-encoding direction and are different from those observed in gradient-echo images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In representative clinical MR exams, these artifacts were identified in the high nasopharynx and low orbit and should not be misinterpreted as pathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Anzai
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Lufkin
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Jabour
authors.forename: W N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Hanafee
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D001834:Body Water; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008961:Models, Structural; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009915:Orbit / Q000033:anatomy & histology
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids