TY - JOUR T1 - Rapid MR imaging of the pediatric brain using the fast spin-echo technique. JF - American Journal of Neuroradiology JO - Am. J. Neuroradiol. SP - 1169 LP - 1177 VL - 13 IS - 4 AU - S S Ahn AU - M T Mantello AU - K M Jones AU - R V Mulkern AU - P S Melki AU - N Higuchi AU - P D Barnes Y1 - 1992/07/01 UR - http://www.ajnr.org/content/13/4/1169.abstract N2 - PURPOSE To evaluate diagnostic reliability and to establish optimal scanning techniques of a recently developed Fast Spin-echo MR pulse sequence that allows rapid proton density-weighted and T2-weighted imaging.METHODS We compared lesion conspicuity and signal intensity measurements on Fast Spin-echo and conventional spin-echo sequences in 81 patients ranging from 1 week to 25 years in age on a 1.5-T MR unit. A total of 28 Fast Spin-echo dual-echo images (14 slice locations) were obtained in 2:08 minutes with a 256 x 128 matrix or in 3:12 minutes with a 256 x 192 matrix at a TR of 2000 msec and two excitations.RESULTS Lesion conspicuity and characterization on Fast Spin-echo images compared favorably with conventional spin-echo images in our series when pseudo-TEs of 15 and 90 msec were employed for proton density-weighted and T2-weighted images, respectively. Fast Spin-echo images yielded diagnostic information in four nonsedated patients whose conventional spin-echo images were either degraded by motion or unobtainable. Fat signal remained bright on T2-weighted Fast Spin-echo images. Magnetic-susceptibility effects were slightly reduced with Fast Spin-echo but did not pose any diagnostic problem in our series.CONCLUSION Diagnostically reliable rapid dual-echo brain images can be obtained with Fast Spin-echo sequences. ER -