SPIRAL SPIN-ECHO MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING OF THE PELVIS WITH SPECTRALLY AND SPATIALLY SELECTIVE RADIOFREQUENCY EXCITATION - COMPARISON WITH FAT-SATURATED FAST SPIN-ECHO IMAGING

Objective: The authors describe their initial clinical experience in c omparing a spiral spin-echo technique with a fat-saturated fast spin-e cho technique for imaging the pelvis. Methods: A total of 18 patients were imaged with both spiral spin-echo and fat-saturated fast spin-ech o magnetic resonance imaging. The spiral spin-echo technique combines a spectrally and spatially selective radiofrequency excitation with a spiral k-space trajectory. This technique permits rapid acquisition of T-2-weighted water-only images. Results: The spiral spin-echo images were judged superior to the fat-saturated fast spin-echo images in ter ms of uniformity of fat suppression and absence of flow-related artifa cts. However, the overall image quality of the spiral spin-echo images was inferior to that of the fat-saturated fast spin-echo images, as a result of blurring caused by off-resonance effects. The two technique s were judged equivalent in terms of conspicuity of the abnormality an d diagnostic information. Conclusion: The authors conclude that the sp iral spin-echo technique holds promise, particularly if combined with a deblurring algorithm.