MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING USING FLAIR PULSE SEQUENCE IN WHITE-MATTERDISEASES

Fifty six patients among whom 39 had white matter diseases had MRI of the brain comparing FLAIR sequence to a conventional proton density se quence. Flair sequence allowed to detect 18 additional hypersignal (HS ) that were not present on T2 sequence. These HS were located in the p eriventricular areas for 5 of them, near the cortical sulci in 10, and in the centrum semi-ovale for 3. FLAIR sequence permitted analyze 41 other lesions that were not obvious on proton density sequences. Thirt y five of them were thus confirmed to be HS: 31 in the paracortical ar eas, 3 in the paraventricular regions and one in the internal capsule, whereas the remaining 6 were normal sulci of the brain. FLAIR sequenc e increases the sensitivity of MRI in white matter diseases.