MR imaging of pulmonary parenchyma with a half-Fourier single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) sequence.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the utility of a half-Fourier single-shot turbo spin-echo sequence (HASTE) at depicting lung parenchyma and lung pathology.


METHODS
A HASTE sequence was applied to five normal volunteers and 20 patients with various pulmonary disorders to depict the lung parenchyma. Images were acquired with ECG-triggering and breath-holding. In three volunteers, signal intensity measurements from lung parenchyma were performed using four sequences: (a) HASTE; (b) conventional spin echo; (c) fast spin echo; and (d) gradient echo. T2 maps were produced using the HASTE acquisition.


RESULTS
Minimal respiratory or cardiac motion artifacts were observed. The signal-to-noise ratios from lung parenchyma were 27.8 +/- 5.4, 22.0 +/- 3.0, 15.3 +/- 0.9, and 6.0 +/- 1.9 for HASTE, spin-echo, fast spin-echo, and gradient echo sequences, respectively. The scan time for HASTE was 302 ms for each slice. The T2 values in the right lung and the left lung were 61.2 +/- 4.1 and 79.1 +/- 8.9 ms in systole and 92.6 +/- 5.8 and 97.5 +/- 12.2 ms in diastole, respectively (P < 0.05 diastole versus systole). The HASTE sequence demonstrated clearly various pulmonary disorders, including lung cancer, hilar lymphadenopathy, metastatic pulmonary nodules as small as 3 mm, pulmonary hemorrhage, pulmonary edema and bronchial wall thickening in bronchiectasis.


CONCLUSIONS
Our preliminary results indicate that the HASTE sequence provides a practical means for breath-hold MR imaging of lung parenchyma.
Hatabu
H
H
Department of Radiology and Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA. hhatabu@caregroup.harvard.edu
Gaa
J
J
Tadamura
E
E
Edinburgh
K J
KJ
Stock
K W
KW
Garpestad
E
E
Edelman
R R
RR
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male