Ultrafast FLAIR imaging with single-shot echo-planar technique in evaluation of intracranial lesions

We evaluated the detection of the brain lesions with single-shot echo-plana r FLAIR imaging (EP-FLAIR) relative to fast spin-echo FLAIR imaging (fast-F LAIR). In 30 patients with variety of intracranial lesions, a prospective c omparison of EP-FLAIR and fast-FLAIR was performed. Data acquisition time p er image was 0.1 s with EP-FLAIR. Quantitative and qualitative criteria as well as lesion detectability were evaluated. EP-FLAIR provided almost same tissue contrast and CSF suppression as fast-FLAIR did. In the quantitative analysis, contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (C/N) of EP-FLAIR were compa rable to those of fast-FLAIR, and there was no significant difference betwe en them. The increased magnetic susceptibility effect was useful in screeni ng for subtle hemorrhage. However, EP-FLAIR was degraded by susceptibility artifacts at the skull base and posterior to the frontal sinuses. Motion ar tifacts were not encountered owing to the very short imaging time, and EP-F LAIR was particularly useful in screening for the lesions in uncoorporative patients. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.