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

View/Open
Cita com:
hdl:2117/116910
Document typeArticle
Defense date2017-04-01
Rights accessOpen Access
All rights reserved. This work is protected by the corresponding intellectual and industrial
property rights. Without prejudice to any existing legal exemptions, reproduction, distribution, public
communication or transformation of this work are prohibited without permission of the copyright holder
Abstract
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.
CitationAymerich, F.X., Auger, C., Alcaide, P., Pareto, D., Huerga, E., Corral, J.F., Mitjana, R., Sastre, J., Montalban, X., Rovira, A. 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. "European Radiology", 1 Abril 2017, vol. 27, núm. 4, p. 1361-1368.
ISSN0938-7994
Publisher versionhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00330-016-4503-3
Files | Description | Size | Format | View |
---|---|---|---|---|
Manuscript_consp-ER_drac.pdf | 587,5Kb | View/Open |