title: Short TI inversion-recovery imaging of the liver: pulse-sequence optimization and comparison with spin-echo imaging.
abstract: Magnitude-reconstructed short inversion-time (TI) inversion-recovery (IR) sequences have the advantage of reducing the signal of fat while providing additive T1 and T2 contrast. A double-echo short TI IR sequence was implemented to offer different degrees of T1- and T2-dependent image contrast. In 50 consecutive patients with proved liver tumors (30 metastases, 13 hemangiomas, seven other primary liver tumors), images obtained with a double-echo IR sequence at a repetition time (TR) of 1,500 msec, echo time (TE) of 30 and 60 msec, and TI of 80 msec (TR/TE/TI = 1,500/30, 60/80) were compared with those obtained with spin-echo (SE) sequences at a TR of 275 msec and a TE of 14 msec (TR/TE = 275/14) and 2,350/60, 120, 180. Metastases-liver contrast-to-noise ratios were highest at SE 275/14, followed by IR 1,500/30/80 and SE 2,350/180. IR 1,500/30/80 and SE 275/14 sequences consistently showed higher sensitivity for the detection of metastases than T2-weighted SE sequences. Differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions was more reliable with T2-weighted SE sequences than T2-weighted short TI IR sequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dousset
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weissleder
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hendrick
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Fretz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Elizondo
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged