title: T2-weighted MR imaging of focal hepatic lesions: comparison of various RARE and fat-suppressed spin-echo sequences.
abstract: The authors prospectively compared four T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) sequences, including high-resolution 512 x 512 (matrix size) RARE (rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement), 256 x 256 RARE, 128 x 256 breath-hold RARE, and 192 x 256 fat-suppressed spin-echo (T2FS) sequences, in the evaluation of 16 patients with focal hepatic masses. MR images were evaluated by quantitative lesion-liver signal difference-to-noise ratios (SDNRs) and subjective evaluation of image artifact and image quality. No significant differences were observed between RARE sequences in SDNR values. The T2FS sequence had a significantly higher SDNR than the 512 x 512 RARE sequence (24.6 +/- 15.0 vs 14.5 +/- 9.7) (P = .008). Image quality was rated highest for the 512 x 512 RARE and T2FS sequences (P = .006). The inherent advantage of high spatial resolution suggests that the 512 x 512 RARE sequence may be of value in detecting hepatic lesions.
authors.affiliation: St Boniface General Hospital, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Semelka
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Shoenut
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kroeker
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies