title: Metal artifact suppression at the hip: diagnostic performance at 3.0 T versus 1.5 Tesla.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This work aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of a metal artifact suppression sequence (MAVRIC-SL) for imaging of hip arthroplasties (HA) at 1.5 and 3 Tesla (T) field strength.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen patients (10 females; aged 27-74) with HA were examined at 3.0 and 1.5 T within 3 weeks. The sequence protocol included 3D-MAVRIC-SL PD (coronal), 3D-MAVRIC-SL STIR (axial), FSE T1, FSE PD and STIR sequences. Anatomical structures and pathological findings were assessed independently by two radiologists. Artifact extent and technical quality (image quality, fat saturation and geometric distortion) were also evaluated. Findings at 1.5 and 3.0 T were compared using a Wilcoxon signed rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While image quality was better at 1.5 T, visualization of anatomic structures and clinical abnormalities was not significantly different using the two field strengths (p > 0.05). Fat suppression and amount of artifacts were significantly better at 1.5 T (p  < 0.01). Inter- and intra-reader agreement for different anatomic details, image quality and visualization of abnormalities ranged from k = 0.62 to k = 1.00.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MAVRIC-SL at 1.5 T had a comparable diagnostic performance when compared MAVRIC-SL at 3.0 T; however, the higher field strength was associated with larger artifacts, limited image quality and worse fat saturation.
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal and Quantitative Imaging Research, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, 185 Berry street, suite 350, San Francisco, CA, 94107, USA. Lorenzo.Nardo@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nardo
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal and Quantitative Imaging Research, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, 185 Berry street, suite 350, San Francisco, CA, 94107, USA. Han.Misung@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Misung
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal and Quantitative Imaging Research, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, 185 Berry street, suite 350, San Francisco, CA, 94107, USA. Martin.Kretschmar@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kretzschmar
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kretschmar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics - Unit 1411, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 301402, Houston, TX, 77230-1402, USA. mguindani@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guindani
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA. kmkoch@mcw.edu.|Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA. kmkoch@mcw.edu.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of California San Francisco, 500 Parnassus Avenue, MU320, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA. vailt@orthosurg.ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vail
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal and Quantitative Imaging Research, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, 185 Berry street, suite 350, San Francisco, CA, 94107, USA. Roland.Krug@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krug
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal and Quantitative Imaging Research, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, 185 Berry street, suite 350, San Francisco, CA, 94107, USA. thomas.link@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Link
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019643:Arthroplasty, Replacement; D016477:Artifacts; D005260:Female; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D008670:Metals
keywords: Hip; MRI; Pain; Surgery