FAST SPIN-ECHO VS CONVENTIONAL SPIN-ECHO IN CERVICAL-SPINE IMAGING

The major attraction of fast-spin-echo (FSE) imaging is reduced acquis ition time; however, careful review of the literature reveals many wea knesses: phase-encoded blurring, truncation artefact, bright fat signa l, reduced magnetic susceptibility and increased motion artefact. Our aim was a prospective, blinded comparison of FSE and conventional spin echo (CSE) in the cervical spine. Both sequences were performed in 43 patients (19 males and 24 females; mean age 45 years, range 15-66 yea rs). Twenty-eight patients were studied at 1.5 T and 15 at 0.5 T. Typi cal, sequence parameters were: at 1.5 T, TR/TE 2000/90 CSE adn 3000/12 0 FSE, adn at 0.5 T, 2200/80 CSE and 2800/120 FSE. Time saved on the F SE was used to increase the matrix and the number of acquisitions. Two neuroradiologists evaluated the images for pathology, artefacts, disc signal intensity, thecal sac compression and image quality. Ten patie nts had cord lesions; 2 (20%) were missed on CSE. In 4 of 10 patients with moderate/severe thecal sac compression, the degree of stenosis wa s apparently exaggerated on CSE. The mean degree of confidence for the CSE sequences was 1.8 and for the FSE 1.1 where 1 is optimal. For cer vical spine imaging, FSE should be preferred to CSE.