Contrast enhancement of intracranial lesions: conventional T1-weighted spin-echo versus fast spin-echo MR imaging techniques.
OBJECTIVE
The T1-weighted fast spin-echo (T1-FSE) MR imaging sequence is not used routinely, since the speed advantage is not as dramatic as it is in T2-weighted imaging. We evaluated the T1-FSE sequence to determine whether this technique can replace the conventional T1-weighted spin-echo (T1-SE) sequence for routine contrast-enhanced imaging.


METHODS
Sixty-nine patients with intracranial enhancing lesions underwent both T1-SE and T1-FSE sequences in a random order after administration of contrast agent. Acquisition time was 55 seconds for the T1-FSE sequence and 2 minutes 38 seconds for the SE sequence. The conspicuity of enhancing lesions, peritumoral edema, and gray-to-white matter contrast as well as motion and flow artifacts were analyzed. Signal-to-noise ratios of enhancing lesions, gray matter, and white matter as well as contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of enhancing lesions, with gray matter with white matter as the standard, were calculated.


RESULTS
The conspicuity of enhancing lesions was better on T1-FSE sequences than on T1-SE sequences, although the difference in the CNRs of enhancing lesions did not reach significance. Images obtained with the T1-FSE sequence showed less flow and motion artifacts than did those obtained with the T1-SE sequence. The conspicuity of peritumoral edema and gray-to-white matter contrast was lower on the T1-FSE images than on the T1-SE images.


CONCLUSIONS
The T1-FSE sequence reduces imaging time and has the potential to replace the conventional T1-SE sequence for the evaluation of enhancing lesions in the brain when time is a consideration.
Sugahara
T
T
Department of Radiology, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan, USA.
Korogi
Y
Y
Ge
Y
Y
Shigematsu
Y
Y
Liang
L
L
Yoshizumi
K
K
Kitajima
M
M
Takahashi
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016477:Artifacts; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000175:diagnosis; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA