title: Quantitative comparison of conventional spin echo and fast spin echo during brain myelination.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fast SE (FSE) sequences have largely replaced conventional SE (CSE) T2-weighted sequences in the brain and have been generally accepted as qualitatively comparable. The purpose of the present study was to subject these sequences to a quantitative comparative analysis in the brain.
  
  
  METHODS
  A quantitative analysis of relative signal intensities of white and gray matter was performed comparing CSE and FSE T2-weighted sequences in brains of 20 children at varying stages of myelination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At all ages in individual patients, white matter had less signal intensity (SI) relative to gray matter on FSE than CSE, though the relative difference in SI was small. This resulted in white matter appearing slightly more myelinated on FSE than CSE. This difference is attributed to differences in magnetization transfer. In myelinated brain (white matter hypointense to gray matter), contrast-to-noise was greater with FSE, while in unmyelinated brain, contrast-to-noise was greater with CSE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weinberger
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Astley
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tsuruda
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000502:physiology*