title: Magnetic resonance imaging contrast enhancement of brain tumors at 3 tesla versus 1.5 tesla.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Clinic of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Iris-Melanie
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Nöbauer-Huhmann
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ba-Ssalamah
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mlynarik
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barth
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schöggl
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heimberger
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matula
authors.forename: Amura
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fog
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaider
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trattnig
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; C064925:gadodiamide; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA