Evaluation of MR cisternography of the cerebellopontine angle using a balanced fast-field-echo sequence: preliminary findings

Eur Radiol. 2004 Feb;14(2):239-42. doi: 10.1007/s00330-003-2074-6. Epub 2003 Oct 3.

Abstract

We evaluated the feasibility of MR cisternography by the balanced fast-field-echo (bFFE) sequence, comparing with that by a turbo-spin-echo (TSE) sequence, for cerebellopontine angle lesions on a 1.5-T imager (Gyroscan Intera, Philips, Best, The Netherlands). The bFFE MR cisternograms depicted target cranial nerves with less cerebrospinal fluid pulsation artifacts than TSE cisternograms and visualized an acoustic schwannoma in 6 of 44 patients with suspicion and a causative vessel of hemifacial spasm in all of 3 patients in a short scanning time (1 min 53 s). The bFFE sequence can be promising for MR cisternography in the diagnosis of cerebellopontine angle lesions.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cerebellopontine Angle / pathology
  • Child
  • Cochlear Nerve / pathology
  • Facial Nerve / pathology
  • Facial Nerve Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Female
  • Hemifacial Spasm / diagnosis*
  • Humans
  • Image Enhancement / instrumentation*
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / instrumentation*
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / instrumentation*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / instrumentation*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nerve Compression Syndromes / diagnosis*
  • Neuroma, Acoustic / diagnosis*
  • Pneumoencephalography / instrumentation*
  • Reference Values
  • Sensitivity and Specificity