FAT-SUPPRESSION IN ENHANCED MRT OF THE SK ULL BASE AND CERVICAL REGION - ITS CLINICAL-VALUE

167 patients with abnormalities at the skull base and at the cervical- skull junction were examined by MRT in order to compare a FATSAT techn ique with T1- and T2-weighted SE sequences before and after intravenou s injection of 0.1 mmol Gd-DTPA/kg KG. The diagnostic information from corresponding FATSAT and T1-SE sequences was correlated with the hist opathological findings. In 10.7 % of patients fat suppression was inad equate and in a further 11.3 % of patients chemical shift artifacts li mited the diagnostic value. The number of detectable lesions was not i ncreased by the use of FATSAT sequences but visualisation of soft tiss ue lesions was improved, adding to the diagnostic value under specific conditions. Evaluating by the Friedman and Wilcoxon test showed that the postcontrast FATSAT sequences were markedly superior (p < 0.01) in delineating and contrasting the lesions. The additional use of contra st enhanced FATSAT sequences resulted in improved diagnosis of lesions at the skull base and the facial skeleton.