T1 AND T2 ALTERATIONS IN THE BRAINS OF PATIENTS WITH HEPATIC CIRRHOSIS

PURPOSE: To determine whether previously reported T1-weighted MR hyper intensities in the brains of patients with hepatic cirrhosis are accom panied by changes in T2. METHODS: We measured T1 and T2 in the brains of 10 patients with chronic liver disease and 7 age-matched healthy vo lunteers, using classic spin-echo sequences with multiple saturation r ecovery limes and multiple echoes. RESULTS: Both T1 and T2 were shorte ned in the basal ganglia, cortex, and white matter of the patients, wi th the greatest shortening in the globus pallidus, where 1/T1 was incr eased by 0.76 s(-1) or 74%, and 1/T2 by 1.45 s(-1) or 11%. CONCLUSIONS : The T1 changes were accompanied by T2 changes of greater magnitude t hat were not as visible because T2 is normally much shorter than T1, e specially in the globus pallidus.