ECHO-PLANAR FLAIR IMAGING IN EVALUATION OF INTRACRANIAL LESIONS

Fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) imaging is a magnetic reso nance imaging technique that improves lesion detection in the brain, T his technique suppresses signal from free water in cerebrospinal fluid and maintains the hyperintense lesion contrast of T2-weighted spin-ec ho imaging. Unfortunately, conventional FLAIR imaging requires a long acquisition time and provides a limited number of sections. A combinat ion of echo-planar imaging and FLAIR imaging offers the image contrast effects of FLAIR imaging and the speed of echo-planar imaging. Clinic ally, the echo-planar FLAIR technique is most helpful in detecting sub tle, early lesions that do not enhance, such as early infarct, demyeli nating disease, early infection, and trauma. The increased magnetic su sceptibility effect associated with the echo-planar technique can be c linically useful in detecting subtle hemorrhage and cavernous angioma. Echo-planar FLAIR imaging is a practical and efficient means of scree ning the entire brain in a short time.