title: Fast spin-echo high-resolution MR imaging of the inner ear.
abstract: Advances in MR imaging continue to improve our ability to evaluate temporal bone anatomy and disease. CT remains the procedure of choice for fine-detail imaging of bone structures such as ossicular anatomy, but it is not the ideal imaging technique for soft-tissue structures (e.g., the membranous labyrinth and neural structures). Conventional spin-echo MR techniques used to image these structures cannot yield excellent contrast and spatial resolution in clinically acceptable time frames. Conventional spin-echo T1-weighted images lack tissue contrast between fluid (e.g., CSF, endolymph, perilymph), neural tissue, otic capsule septa, and surrounding temporal bone. Conventional T2-weighted imaging of the inner ear is needed to reveal the natural contrast between fluid, neural structures, and bone; unfortunately, the use of conventional T2-weighted images is limited by time constraints when large-matrix, thin-section techniques with more than one excitation are used. Fast spin-echo imaging is a recently developed technique that can provide T2-weighted, thin-section (2-mm) high-resolution images with excellent contrast in a fraction of the time needed for conventional spin-echo techniques. This speed advantage allows us to obtain high-resolution images in clinically acceptable time frames. Images produced by this technique are a useful addition, in conjunction with routine T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo images, in the diagnosis of disorders of the inner ear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Tien
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Felsberg
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Macfall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007759:Labyrinth Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values