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AJNR - American Journal of Neuroradiology

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American Journal of Neuroradiology 23:995-1002, June-July 2002
© 2002 American Society of Neuroradiology

BRAIN

Three-Dimensional, T1-Weighted Gradient-Echo Imaging of the Brain with a Volumetric Interpolated Examination

Stephan G. Wetzel^a, Glyn Johnson^a, Andrew G. S. Tan^a, Soonmee Cha^a, Edmond A. Knopp^a, Vivian S. Lee^a, David Thomasson^b and Neil M. Rofsky^c

^a Department of Radiology, New York University Medical Center, NY
^b Siemens Medical Systems, Washington, DC
^c Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Address reprint requests to Glyn Johnson, PhD, Department of Radiology (Research), New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Ave, New York, NY 10016

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: T1-weighted, 3D gradient-echo MR sequences can be optimized for rapid acquisition and improved resolution through asymmetric k-space sampling and interpolation. We compared a volumetric interpolated brain examination (VIBE) sequence with a magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (MP RAGE) sequence and a 2D T1-weighted spin-echo (SE) sequence.

METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients known or suspected to have focal brain lesions underwent postcontrast studies (20 mL of gadopentetate dimeglumine) with VIBE, MP RAGE, and 2D T1-weighted SE imaging. Source and 5-mm VIBE and MP RAGE reformations, and 5-mm T1-weighted SE images were compared qualitatively and by using signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). SNRs in a gadolinium-doped water phantom were also measured for all three sequences.

RESULTS: On the source images, SNRs for gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM), and CNRs for WM-to-GM and contrast-enhancing lesion-to-GM were slightly, but significantly higher for the VIBE sequence than for the MP RAGE sequence (P < .05). On 5-mm reformations, WM-to-GM CNR was significantly higher on VIBE and MP RAGE images than on T1-weighted SE images (P < .001), but contrast-enhancing lesion-to-GM CNRs were higher on SE images compared with both gradient-echo sequences (P < .001). Qualitatively, VIBE images showed fewer flow artifacts than did SE and MP RAGE images (P < .05). In the phantom, VIBE SNR was higher than MP RAGE SNR for short T1 relaxation times.

CONCLUSION: VIBE provides an effective, alternative approach to MP RAGE for fast 3D T1-weighted imaging of the brain.

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