TY - JOUR T1 - MR assessment of brain maturation: comparison of sequences. JF - American Journal of Neuroradiology JO - Am. J. Neuroradiol. SP - 425 LP - 433 VL - 15 IS - 3 AU - K Hittmair AU - D Wimberger AU - T Rand AU - L Prayer AU - G Bernert AU - J Kramer AU - H Imhof Y1 - 1994/03/01 UR - http://www.ajnr.org/content/15/3/425.abstract N2 - PURPOSE To evaluate the role of short-inversion-time inversion-recovery (STIR) sequences in assessment of brain maturation. METHODS Twenty-seven infants and young children with normal neurologic development were examined by 1.5-T MR using a circularly polarized head coil. Axial T1-weighted and T2-weighted and spin-echo and STIR images were obtained. Signal intensity of different anatomic structures at individual sequences was classified relatively to reference sites and temporal sequence of signal intensity was observed. RESULTS Signal intensity changes on T1-weighted and T2-weighted spin-echo sequences occurred at ages described in various previous publications. On STIR images intensity changes became apparent at a time between T1-weighted and T2-weighted images. The advantages of the STIR sequence were improved assessment of myelination of subcortical cerebral white matter from 6 to 14 months and good contrast between white matter lesions and cerebrospinal fluid. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that from 0 to 6 months myelination can be assessed best using a combination of T1-weighted and T2-weighted images; from 6 to 14 months a combination of T2-weighted and STIR images seems to be advantageous; after 14 months the use of only T2-weighted sequences is sufficient. After 14 months STIR images may be useful in detecting small periventricular white matter lesions or in cases with retarded myelination and isointensity between gray matter and white matter. ER -