MAGNETIZATION-TRANSFER IN THE INVESTIGATION OF PATIENTS WITH TUBEROUSSCLEROSIS

We examined 21 patients aged 5 months to 19 years, on a 1.5 T magnet. T1-weighted spin-echo images, proton density and T2-weighted images wi th spin-echo and turbo spin-echo sequences, and contrast-enhanced magn etization transfer (MT) T1-weighted images were obtained in all cases. MT T1-weighted images were performed before injection in 9 patients. Subependymal nodules were found in 14, and cortical and subcortical tu bers in 20 of the 21 patients. MT T1-weighted images showed tubers and subependymal nodules as higher signal than normal gray matter and rev ealed more tubers than conventional sequences in 11 cases. High signal intensity lesions of the white matter were found in 19 patients but w ere seen only on MT images in 9 cases. When MT images both be fore and after injection were available, tubers and white matter lesions were more easily recognised on unenhanced MT images because of their higher contrast.