TY - JOUR T1 - Influence of Imaging Parameters on High-Intensity Cerebrospinal Fluid Artifacts in Fast-FLAIR MR Imaging JF - American Journal of Neuroradiology JO - Am. J. Neuroradiol. SP - 393 LP - 399 VL - 23 IS - 3 AU - Hsiu-Mei Wu AU - David M. Yousem AU - Hsiao-Wen Chung AU - Wan-Yuo Guo AU - Cheng-Yen Chang AU - Cheng-Yu Chen Y1 - 2002/03/01 UR - http://www.ajnr.org/content/23/3/393.abstract N2 - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: High-intensity CSF artifacts at the basal cisterns on MR images are often seen when a fast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) technique is used. We investigated the influences of four optional fast-FLAIR sequence parameters on the high-intensity CSF artifacts.METHODS: A total of 377 patients (age range, 1 week to 91 years; mean 40.6 years; 186 female, 191 male) were examined with axial fast-FLAIR images obtained (TR/TEeff/TI, 8800/133/2200) with a 1.5-T system during 6 months. The effects of the optional addition of inferior inflow saturation (thickness, 80 mm), section flow compensation, and tailored radiofrequency (TRF) pulses, plus the choice of interleaving acquisition factors of 2 or 3, were evaluated for the presence of high-intensity CSF artifacts on the fast-FLAIR images. Two radiologists independently reviewed the fast-FLAIR images in 76 patients; afterward, a single observer reviewed the remainder of the images.RESULTS: The interobserver agreement rate in 76 cases was more than 90percnt;. The use of TRF and/or three interleaving acquisitions resulted in a substantial reduction in the incidence of high-intensity CSF artifacts from about 80percnt; to 40percnt; (P < .05, two-sample two-sided Z test). Inferior inflow saturation and section flow compensation did not significantly improve image quality (P > .05). The results were consistent with the image quality ranking obtained in five healthy volunteers.CONCLUSION: The appropriate choice of sequence parameters in fast-FLAIR imaging reduces the incidence of high-intensity CSF artifacts that are frequently encountered in the presence of rapid CSF flow. ER -