Comparison between gadolinium-enhanced 2D T1-weighted gradient-echo and spin-echo sequences in the detection of active multiple sclerosis lesions on 3.0T MRI

F. X. Aymerich, C. Auger, P. Alcaide-Leon, D. Pareto, E. Huerga, J. F. Corral, R. Mitjana, J. Sastre-Garriga, X. Montalban, A. Rovira

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6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

© 2016, European Society of Radiology. Objectives: To compare the sensitivity of enhancing multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions in gadolinium-enhanced 2D T1-weighted gradient-echo (GRE) and spin-echo (SE) sequences, and to assess the influence of visual conspicuity and laterality on detection of these lesions. Methods: One hundred MS patients underwent 3.0T brain MRI including gadolinium-enhanced 2D T1-weighted GRE and SE sequences. The two sets of contrast-enhanced scans were evaluated in random fashion by three experienced readers. Lesion conspicuity was assessed by the image contrast ratio (CR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). The intracranial region was divided into four quadrants and the impact of lesion location on detection was assessed in each slice. Results: Six hundred and seven gadolinium-enhancing MS lesions were identified. GRE images were more sensitive for lesion detection (0.828) than SE images (0.767). Lesions showed a higher CR in SE than in GRE images, whereas the CNR was higher in GRE than SE. Most misclassifications occurred in the right posterior quadrant. Conclusions: The gadolinium-enhanced 2D T1-weighted GRE sequence at 3.0T MRI enables detection of enhancing MS lesions with higher sensitivity and better lesion conspicuity than 2D T1-weighted SE. Hence, we propose the use of gadolinium-enhanced GRE sequences rather than SE sequences for routine scanning of MS patients at 3.0T. Key Points: • 2D SE and GRE sequences are useful for detecting active MS lesions. • Which of these sequences is more sensitive at high field remains uncertain. • GRE sequence showed better sensitivity for detecting active MS lesions than SE. • We propose GRE sequence for detecting active MS lesions at 3.0T.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1361-1368
JournalEuropean Radiology
Volume27
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2017

Keywords

  • Brain
  • Contrast sensitivity
  • Lesion conspicuity
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
  • Multiple sclerosis

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