• Hirokazu Hasegawa, Ryuichiro Ashikaga, Kaoru Okajima, Tetsuya Wakayama, Mitsuharu Miyoshi, Yasumasa Nishimura, and Takamichi Murakami.
• Department of Radiology, Nara Hospital, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, 1248-1, Otodacho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0293, Japan. hhmmk2000@gmail.com.
• Jpn J Radiol. 2017 Aug 1; 35 (8): 463-471.

PurposeThis study aimed to compare the detectability of neoplastic lesion enhancement after gadolinium-based contrast media injection in three-dimensional T1-weighted black blood Cube (3D-T1W BB Cube) and three-dimensional T1-weighted fast spoiled gradient-echo (3D-T1W fast SPGR) images obtained with 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Materials And MethodsPhantom and clinical studies were performed to compare the lesion detectability and contrast ratio (CR) between 3D-T1W BB Cube and 3D-T1W fast SPGR pulse sequences.ResultsIn the phantom study, the CRs for 3D-T1W BB Cube and 3D-T1W fast SPGR were equivalent at low gadolinium concentrations (0.125-1.25 mmol/l). In the clinical study, the detectability in the two modalities was similar for enhanced lesions ≥5 mm, but was significantly better in 3D-T1W BB Cube for lesions <5 mm (p = 0.011). Similarly, the CRs in both modalities were similar for lesions ≥5 mm (0.66 ± 0.36 vs. 0.56 ± 0.30, p = 0.153), but significantly lower in 3D-T1W BB Cube images for lesions <5 mm (0.29 ± 0.19 vs. 0.39 ± 0.21, p = 0.006).ConclusionsContrast 3D-T1W BB Cube imaging appears more sensitive than 3D-T1W fast SPGR imaging for detecting neoplastic lesion enhancement in the clinical setting using a 1.5-T MRI scanner, particularly for lesions <5 mm in diameter.

24 keywords...

hide…