European radiology
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Comparative Study
Gray matter-white matter contrast on spin-echo T1-weighted images at 3 T and 1.5 T: a quantitative comparison study.
Discrepancies exist in the literature regarding contrast between gray and white matter on spin-echo (SE) T1-weighted MR imaging at 3 T. The present study quantitatively assessed differences in gray matter-white matter contrast on both single- and multi-slice SE T1-weighted imaging between 3 and 1.5 T. SE T1-weighted sequences with the same parameters at both 3 and 1.5 T were used. ⋯ CNR(GM-WM) reduction rate of multi-slice images with 0% gap compared with single-slice images was higher at 3T (0.47 +/- 0.13) than at 1.5 T (0.38 +/- 0.09; P = 0.02). CNR(GM-WM) on single-slice SE T1-weighted imaging and CNR(GM-WM) on multi-slice images with 25% interslice gap were better at 3 T than at 1.5 T. The influence of multi-slice imaging on CNR(GM-WM) was significantly larger at 3T than at 1.5 T.
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Peripheral nerve tumors are not frequent, but due to their association with a nerve they are somewhat special. They may be encountered incidentally during evaluation of a soft-tissue mass or when a nerve lesion is clinically suspected and the recognition of such a lesion and its differential diagnosis is key for successful therapy and patient prognosis. As sonography is often the first line modality in the work-up of a soft-tissue mass, the sonographer should be aware of the typical features of such lesions in order to arrive at the correct diagnosis, and this article tries to give an overview of the histological subtypes of peripheral nerve tumors and their sonographic characteristics.