title: Three-dimensional T2-weighted imaging for liver MRI: clinical values of tissue-specific variable refocusing flip-angle turbo spin echo imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the clinical utility of tissue-specific variable refocusing flip-angle (VRFA) turbo-spin echo imaging for three-dimensional T2-weighted imaging (3D-T2WI) of the liver.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-nine patients were scanned with three types of fat-suppressed T2WI for the comparison: two-dimensional single-shot turbo spin echo T2WI (ssT2WI), 3D-T2WI with tissue-specific VRFA (VISTA-TSV), and 3D-T2WI with low-constant VRFA (VISTA). Qualitatively, artifacts in the left and right lobes of the liver and black-blood effects in the liver were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test with the Bonferroni correction. The detection and correct characterization rates of liver lesions were compared using McNemar's test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VISTA-TSV showed reduced artifacts in the left and right lobes of the liver compared with VISTA (P < 0.017). The artifacts shown by VISTA-TSV were equivalent to those shown by ssT2WI. The black-blood effects of VISTA-TSV and VISTA were better than that of ssT2WI (P < 0.017). VISTA-TSV showed the best detection and correct characterization rate of liver lesions among the three imaging techniques (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  3D-T2WI with tissue-specific VRFA can reduce artifacts of the liver, sufficiently suppress the signal in blood vessels, and has a potential to improve the detection and correct characterization rates of liver lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Imaging and Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nishie
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Asayama
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ushijima
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shimamoto
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshiura
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Obara
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takemura
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoneyama
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Honda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016477:Artifacts; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; C073590:gadolinium ethoxybenzyl DTPA; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA
keywords: 3D-T2-weighted imaging; liver; low-constant; magnetic resonance imaging; tissue-specific; variable refocusing flip-angle