FAST FLUID-ATTENUATED INVERSION-RECOVERY IMAGING - FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH A 3D VERSION IN EPILEPSY

We developed a 3D version of fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery imaging (FLAIR) which provides images with a slice thickness of 1.5 mm . We present our initial experience with 3D fast FLAIR in patients wit h epilepsy. We compared 3D fast FLAIR (slice thickness 1.5 mm), 2D fas t FLAIR (slice thickness 5 mm) and a 3D spoiled GRASS (IRSPGR) sequenc e (slice thickness 1.5 mm) in 10 patients with lesional epilepsy (head injury 1, hippocampal sclerosis 2, low-grade glioma 2, dysembryoplast ic neuroepithelial tumour 2, polymicrogyria 1, perinatal infarct 1 and presumed thrombosed aneurysm 1). Both 2D and 3D fast FLAIR sequences yielded higher conspicuity for lesions than the T1-weighted IRSPGR seq uence, except in the patient with polymicrogyria. The extent of the le sion, in particular that of low-grade tumours, was best assessed on 3D fast FLAIR images. 3D fast FLAIR may be a useful additional tool espe cially for imaging low-grade tumours.