PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Hittmair, K
AU  - Mallek, R
AU  - Prayer, D
AU  - Schindler, E G
AU  - Kollegger, H
TI  - Spinal cord lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis: comparison of MR pulse sequences.
DP  - 1996 Sep 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 1555--1565
VI  - 17
IP  - 8
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/17/8/1555.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/17/8/1555.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.1996 Sep 01; 17
AB  - PURPOSE To compare T2-weighted conventional spin-echo (CSE), fast spin-echo (FSE), shorttau inversion recovery (STIR) FSE, and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) FSE sequences in the assessment of cervical multiple sclerosis plaques.METHODS Twenty patients with clinically confirmed multiple sclerosis and signs of cervical cord involvement were examined on a 1.5-T MR system. Sagittal images of T2-weighted and proton density-weighted CSE sequences, T2-weighted FSE sequences with two different sets of sequence parameters, STIR-FSE sequences, and FLAIR-FSE sequences were compared by two independent observers. In addition, contrast-to-noise measurements were obtained.RESULTS Spinal multiple sclerosis plaques were seen best on STIR-FSE images, which yielded the highest lesion contrast. Among the T2-weighted sequences, the FSE technique provided better image quality than did the CSE technique, but lesion visibility was improved only with a repetition time/echo time of 2500/90; parameters of 3000/150 provided poor lesion contrast but the best myelographic effect and overall image quality. CSE images were degraded by prominent image noise; FLAIR-FSE images showed poor lesion contrast and strong cerebrospinal fluid pulsation artifacts.CONCLUSIONS The STIR-FSE sequence is the best choice for assessment of spinal multiple sclerosis plaques. For T2-weighted FSE sequences, shorter echo times are advantageous for spinal cord imaging, long echo times are superior for extramedullary and extradural disease. FLAIR-FSE sequences do not contribute much to spinal imaging for multiple sclerosis detection.