Perfusion-sensitive MR Imaging of Gliomas: Comparison between Gradient-echo and Spin-echo Echo-planar Imaging Techniques

A 35-year-old man with low-grade astrocytoma.

A, T2-weighted image at 3700/96/1 (TR/TE/excitation). Left frontoparietal tumor with hyperintensity is not enhanced after contrast medium administration.

B, Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted image at 690/14/1.

C and D, SE-EPI at 2000/97/1 (C) and GE-EPI (D,) at 2000/46/1. On the perfusion-sensitive MR imaging, tumor CBV (arrow) is lower than that of gray matter obtained with the two techniques.

A 55-year-old man with glioblastoma.

A, Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted image at 690/14/1 (TR/TE/excitation). B and C, SE-EPI at 2000/97/1 (B) and GE-EPI at 2000/46/1 (C). The area of high tumor rCBV (arrow) is clearly visualized with both SE- and GE-EPI.

A 33-year-old man with glioblastoma.

A, Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted image at 3700/96/1 (TR/TE/excitation).

B and C, SE-EPI at 2000/97/1 (B) and GE-EPI (C) at 2000/46/1. High rCBV of the tumor rim (arrow) is shown with SE-EPI but is more conspicuous with GE-EPI (arrow).

The maximum rCBV ratios calculated with the GE-EPI technique at 2000/46/1 (TR/TE/excitation) versus those obtained with SE-EPI at 2000/97/1

A 47-year-old man with glioblastoma.

A, Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted image at 3700/96/1 (TR/TE/excitation).

B and C, SE-EPI at 2000/97/1 (B) and GE-EPI at 2000/46/1 (C). Tumor rCBV is higher than that of gray and white matter obtained with the two techniques, but the hypervascular area of the tumor (B and C, arrow) is more conspicuous with GE-EPI.

D and E, The ΔR2* and ΔR2 curves during the transit of the contrast material through the gray and white matter regions of the brain and the two areas within the tumor that were measured using each of the SE- and GE-EPI techniques, respectively. The curves with white and black circles represent the tumor; the curves with squares and triangles represent the gray and white matter, respectively. Interestingly, the susceptibility effects within the tumor did not completely disappear after the first pass of the contrast medium on the GE-EPI image (D, arrow), whereas they almost completely disappeared on the SE-EPI image (E, arrow).