• Masaaki Hori, Toshiyuki Okubo, Kazuhito Uozumi, Keiichi Ishigame, Hiroshi Kumagai, and Tsutomu Araki.
• Department of Radiology, Yamanashi Medical University, Nakakoma-gun, Tamanashi, Japan.
• AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2003 Apr 1; 24 (4): 648-51.

Background And PurposeT1-weighted spin-echo imaging has been widely used to study anatomic detail and abnormalities of the brain; however, the image contrast of this technique is often poor, especially at low field strengths. We tested a new pulse sequence, T1-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), which provides good contrast between lesions, surrounding edematous tissue, and normal parenchyma at low field strengths and at acquisition times comparable to those of T1-weighted spin-echo imaging.MethodsThirteen patients with brain lesions underwent T1-weighted spin-echo and T1-weighted FLAIR imaging during the same imaging session. T1-weighted spin-echo and T1-weighted FLAIR images were compared on the basis of four quantitative (lesion-white matter [WM] contrast-to-noise ratio [CNR], lesion-CSF CNR, gray matter-WM CNR, and WM-CSF CNR) and three qualitative criteria (conspicuousness of lesions, image artifacts, and overall image contrast).ResultsCNRs obtained with T1-weighted FLAIR were comparable but statistically superior to those obtained with T1-weighted spin-echo imaging. In general, T1-weighted FLAIR and T1-weighted spin-echo imaging produced comparable image artifacts. Conspicuousness of lesions and the overall image contrast were judged to be superior on T1-weighted FLAIR images.ConclusionT1-weighted FLAIR imaging may be a valuable alternative to conventional T1-weighted imaging, because the former technique offers superior image contrast at low field strengths and comparable acquisition times.

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