Magnetic resonance imaging contrast enhancement of brain tumors at 3 tesla versus 1.5 tesla.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the diagnostic efficacy of a standard dose of MRI contrast agent in the evaluation of primary brain tumors and metastases using a high-field 3 tesla MR unit versus a 1.5 tesla MR unit.


METHODS
Sixteen patients with brain tumors were examined at both field strengths using identical axial T1-SE protocols pre- and postcontrast (0.1 mmol/kg gadolinium), and postcontrast coronal 3D GRE with magnetization preparation (MP-RAGE), which was adjusted separately for each field strength. Evaluation of the images was performed quantitatively and, in the case of T1-SE images, also by visual assessment.


RESULTS
Tumor-to-brain-contrast after gadolinium administration using statistical evaluation of MP-RAGE scans was significantly higher at 3 tesla (97.5) than at 1.5 tesla (46.3). The same was true for T1-SE sequences (93.0 vs. 72.1). Signal enhancement of the lesions in T1-SE sequences was not significantly different between both field strengths.


CONCLUSIONS
Administration of a gadolinium contrast agent produces higher contrast between tumor and normal brain at 3 tesla than at 1.5 tesla.
Nöbauer-Huhmann
Iris-Melanie
IM
Department of Radiology, University Clinic of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
Ba-Ssalamah
Ahmed
A
Mlynarik
Vladimir
V
Barth
Markus
M
Schöggl
Alexander
A
Heimberger
Karl
K
Matula
Christian
C
Fog
Amura
A
Kaider
Alexandra
A
Trattnig
Siegfried
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
D003287:Contrast Media; C064925:gadodiamide; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA