RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Intracranial Meningeal Disease: Comparison of Contrast-Enhanced MR Imaging with Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery and Fat-Suppressed T1-Weighted Sequences
JF American Journal of Neuroradiology
JO Am. J. Neuroradiol.
FD American Society of Neuroradiology
SP 553
OP 559
VO 26
IS 3
A1 Galassi, Waneerat
A1 Phuttharak, Warinthorn
A1 Hesselink, John R.
A1 Healy, John F.
A1 Dietrich, Rosalind B.
A1 Imbesi, Steven G.
YR 2005
UL http://www.ajnr.org/content/26/3/553.abstract
AB BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Contrast-enhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging has been reported to have higher sensitivity for detecting leptomeningeal disease compared with contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR imaging. The purpose of this study was to compare contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR images with fat suppression to contrast-enhanced FLAIR images to determine which sequence was superior for depicting meningeal disease.METHODS: We reviewed MR images of 24 patients (35 studies) with a variety of meningeal diseases. The MR imaging protocol included contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR images with fat suppression (FS) and contrast-enhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images that were reviewed by three neuroradiologists and were assigned a rating of positive, equivocal, or negative for abnormal meningeal enhancement. The two sequences were compared side by side to determine which better depicted meningeal disease.RESULTS: Abnormal meningeal enhancement was positive in 35 contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR images with FS and in 33 contrast-enhanced FLAIR studies. In the first group, which had the T1-weighted sequence acquired first (21 of 33 studies), contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images with FS showed superior contrast enhancement in 11 studies (52%), inferior contrast enhancement in six studies (29%), and equal contrast enhancement in four studies (19%) compared with the contrast-enhanced FLAIR images. In the second group, which had the FLAIR sequence acquired first (12 of 33), contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images with FS showed superior contrast enhancement in seven studies (58%), inferior contrast enhancement in two studies (17%), and equal contrast enhancement in three studies (25%).CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR imaging with FS is superior to contrast-enhanced FLAIR imaging in most cases for depicting intracranial meningeal diseases.