Gated acquisition of MR images of the thorax: advantages for the study of the hila and mediastinum.
Gated and nongated magnetic resonance (MR) scans of the chest were compared in five normal volunteers and 20 patients with chest disease to determine possible advantages of gated MR for delineation of noncardiac mediastinal anatomy. In order to compare gated and nongated images of the chest using similar imaging parameters, five spin-echo sequences were obtained in each of five normal volunteers: TR: 1000 msec, TE: 30 msec; gated to every heart beat (TR approximately 1000 msec, TE: 30 msec); TR: 2000 msec, TE: 30 msec; gated to every other heart beat (TR approximately 2000 msec), TE: 30 msec; TR: 500 msec, TE: 30 msec. In the 20 patients, the gated images were gated to every heart beat and the nongated images were obtained using a TR of 2000 msec, both with a TE of 30 msec. The noise in the periphery and in the center of the gated and nongated images at the level of the carina was compared in the five normal volunteers, using the signal intensity of the posterior chest wall as a control. There was 92% +/- 44% greater noise in the central region and 63% +/- 60% greater noise in the peripheral region on the nongated studies (TR: 1000 msec), than on the studies gated to every heart beat. In three of the five volunteers, the measured noise was greater on the nongated long TR (2000 msec) images than on the images gated to every other heart beat. However, the mediastinal structures below the level of the aortic arch were much better defined on the gated images in all five subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012189:Retrospective Studies