Subjective artifact assessment
| Artifact | T1-Weighted SE Images | VIBE 5-mm Reformations | MP RAGE 5-mm Reformations | P Value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross patient motion | 5.00 ± 0.0 | 4.98 ± 0.1 | 4.92 ± 0.2 | 0.039 |
| Flow-related | 3.73 ± 0.4 | 4.33 ± 0.6 | 4.02 ± 0.6 | <0.001† |
| Ringing (truncation) | 4.25 ± 0.4 | 3.92 ± 0.4 | 3.83 ± 0.6 | <0.001‡ |
Note.—Data are mean grade ± SD. Grading scheme: 1, unreadable, nondiagnostic study; 2, severe artifacts, but diagnostic study; 3, moderate artifacts; 4, mild artifacts; 5, not encountered.
↵* P values are based on analysis of variance.
↵† Wilcoxon signed rank test demonstrated a statistically significant difference between each pairing of images obtained with the three imaging methods.
↵‡ The Friedman nonparametric test showed significant differences between the three sequences considered together. However, the difference between MP RAGE and VIBE was not significant on the Wilcoxan signed rank sum test.