CARDIAC ABNORMALITIES - ASSESSMENT WITH T2-WEIGHTED TURBO SPIN-ECHO MR-IMAGING WITH ELECTROCARDIOGRAM GATING AT 0.5 T

PURPOSE: To evaluate the cardiovascular system with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging performed with the turbo spin-echo (TSE) method and elec trocardiogram (ECG) gating. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ECG-gated T2-weight ed TSE images were obtained in 52 patients with 68 pathologic conditio ns (intracardiac [n = 18], myocardial [n = 23], pericardial [n = 6], p aracardial [n = 10], or aortic [n = 11] disease) and 10 healthy subjec ts. In healthy subjects, TSE parameters were tested and optimized, and signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) and contrast-to-noise ratios (C/Ns) wer e determined. Delineation of the endo-, epi-, and pericardial borders and signal intensity characteristics of myocardium, fat, pericardium, blood flow, tumors, and clots were assessed. RESULTS: The TSE method p rovided good-quality T2-weighted images with sharp edge definition in a short imaging time. Increasing the turbo factor reduced motion artif acts and preserved the S/N and C/N. TSE images also helped in diagnosi s of tumors, pleural effusions, inflammatory changes, and intravascula r clots. CONCLUSION: TSE MR imaging is a feasible alternative to time- consuming conventional SE MR imaging, reduces motion artifact, and may help in evaluation of the cardiovascular system.