title: Central nervous system tumor, infection, and infarction: detection with gadolinium-enhanced magnetization transfer MR imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To quantitatively measure the degree of contrast enhancement of central nervous system (CNS) tumor, infection, and infarction by means of magnetization transfer (MT) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  T1-weighted MR images obtained before and after administration of contrast material with and without MT in 14 patients with CNS tumors were evaluated by means of a contrast-to-noise ratio (C/N). Another 72 patients with a variety of lesions underwent contrast material-enhanced T1-weighted MR imaging prospectively with and without MT; C/N was also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All lesions had a higher C/N on T1-weighted postcontrast MT images than on conventional images. C/N was 65 +/- 5 (mean +/- standard error) for MT and 42 +/- 4 for conventional images. C/N improved by a factor of 1.6-2.1 in the three disease categories. In intracranial tumors, the MT technique itself did not contribute significantly (P < .001) to the increase in C/N in the absence of gadopentetate dimeglumine. In fact, the C/N was lower for nonenhanced T1-weighted MT images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Concurrent use of gadopentetate dimeglumine and MT results in a statistically significant (P < .001) increase in C/N in CNS tumor, infection, and infarction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Stanford University Medical Center, CA 94305-5105.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Pike
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Haros
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Enzmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003287:Contrast Media; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008536:Meglumine; D008875:Middle Aged; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004369:Pentetic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D004338:Drug Combinations; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D008536:Meglumine; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA