PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - A. Hagiwara AU - M. Hori AU - K. Yokoyama AU - M.Y. Takemura AU - C. Andica AU - T. Tabata AU - K. Kamagata AU - M. Suzuki AU - K.K. Kumamaru AU - M. Nakazawa AU - N. Takano AU - H. Kawasaki AU - N. Hamasaki AU - A. Kunimatsu AU - S. Aoki TI - Synthetic MRI in the Detection of Multiple Sclerosis Plaques AID - 10.3174/ajnr.A5012 DP - 2016 Dec 08 TA - American Journal of Neuroradiology 4099 - http://www.ajnr.org/content/early/2016/12/08/ajnr.A5012.short 4100 - http://www.ajnr.org/content/early/2016/12/08/ajnr.A5012.full AB - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Synthetic MR imaging enables the creation of various contrast-weighted images including double inversion recovery and phase-sensitive inversion recovery from a single MR imaging quantification scan. Here, we assessed whether synthetic MR imaging is suitable for detecting MS plaques.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Quantitative and conventional MR imaging data on 12 patients with MS were retrospectively analyzed. Synthetic T2-weighted, FLAIR, double inversion recovery, and phase-sensitive inversion recovery images were produced after quantification of T1 and T2 values and proton density. Double inversion recovery images were optimized for each patient by adjusting the TI. The number of visible plaques was determined by a radiologist for a set of these 4 types of synthetic MR images and a set of conventional T1-weighted inversion recovery, T2-weighted, and FLAIR images. Conventional 3D double inversion recovery and other available images were used as the criterion standard. The total acquisition time of synthetic MR imaging was 7 minutes 12 seconds and that of conventional MR imaging was 6 minutes 29 seconds The lesion-to-WM contrast and lesion-to-WM contrast-to-noise ratio were calculated and compared between synthetic and conventional double inversion recovery images.RESULTS: The total plaques detected by synthetic and conventional MR images were 157 and 139, respectively (P = .014). The lesion-to-WM contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio on synthetic double inversion recovery images were superior to those on conventional double inversion recovery images (P = .001 and < 0.001, respectively).CONCLUSIONS: Synthetic MR imaging enabled detection of more MS plaques than conventional MR imaging in a comparable acquisition time. The contrast for MS plaques on synthetic double inversion recovery images was better than on conventional double inversion recovery images.AbbreviationsCNRcontrast-to-noise ratioDIRdouble inversion recoveryPDproton densityPSIRphase-sensitive inversion recoveryQRAPMASTERquantification of relaxation times and proton density by multiecho acquisition of saturation recovery with TSE readoutSIsignal intensityT1IRT1-weighted inversion recovery