Contrast enhancement of intracranial lesions: conventional T1-weighted spin-echo versus fast spin-echo MR imaging techniques

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The T1-weighted fast spin-echo (T1-FSE) MR imaging sequence is not used routinely, since the speed advantage is not as dramati c as it is in T2-weighted imaging. We evaluated the T1-FSE sequence to dete rmine whether this technique can replace the conventional T1-weighted spin- echo (T1-SE) sequence for routine contrast-enhanced imaging. METHODS: Sixty-nine patients with intracranial enhancing lesions underwent both T1-SE and T1-FSE sequences in a random order after administration of c ontrast agent. Acquisition time was 55 seconds for the T1-FSE sequence and 2 minutes 38 seconds for the SE sequence. The conspicuity of enhancing lesi ons, peritumoral edema, and gray-to-white matter contrast as well as motion and how artifacts were analyzed. Signal-to-noise ratios of enhancing lesio ns, gray matter, and white matter as well as contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs ) of enhancing lesions, with gray matter with white matter as the standard, were calculated, RESULTS: The conspicuity of enhancing lesions was better on T1-FSE sequence s than on T1-SE sequences, although the difference in the CNRs of enhancing lesions did not reach significance. Images obtained with the T1-FSE sequen ce showed less flow and motion artifacts than did those obtained with the T 1-SE sequence. The conspicuity of peritumoral edema and gray-to-white matte r contrast was lower on the T1-FSE images than on the T1-SE images. CONCLUSION The T1-FSE sequence reduces imaging time and has the potential t o replace the conventional T1-SE sequence for the evaluation of enhancing l esions in the brain when time is a consideration.