USE OF MAGNETIZATION-TRANSFER FOR IMPROVED CONTRAST ON GRADIENT-ECHO MR-IMAGES OF THE CERVICAL-SPINE

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether magnetization transfer (MT) can improve i mage contrast on gradient-recalled echo (GRE) magnetic resonance (MR) images of the cervical spine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sagittal and axia l two-dimensional conventional GRE and MT GRE images were obtained in 103 patients with degenerative disk disease or intrinsic cord lesions. The contrast-to-noise ratios (C/Ns) for the cervical spinal cord and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were compared for images obtained at various MT power level and section-select flip angle combinations. Axial thre e-dimensional GRE images were also obtained with application of MT and C/N evaluated in 10 additional patients. RESULTS: Tailored two-dimens ional MT GRE Images, obtained with a moderate MT power level and a sec tion-select flip angle similar to the Ernst angle for CSF, provided an average of 2.2-2.4-fold improvement in spinal cord-CSF C/N than conve ntional GRE images (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The MT GRE images demonstra ted superior delineation of disk herniations, foraminal stenosis, and intrinsic cord lesions over conventional GRE and T2-weighted spin-echo images in clinical cervical spine examinations.