PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Filippi, Massimo
AU  - Rocca, Maria A.
AU  - Wiessmann, Martin
AU  - Mennea, Silvia
AU  - Cercignani, Mara
AU  - Yousry, Tarek A.
AU  - Sormani, Maria P.
AU  - Comi, Giancarlo
TI  - A Comparison of MR Imaging with Fast-FLAIR, HASTE-FLAIR, and EPI-FLAIR Sequences in the Assessment of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
DP  - 1999 Nov 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 1931--1938
VI  - 20
IP  - 10
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/20/10/1931.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/20/10/1931.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.1999 Nov 01; 20
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) sequences are sensitive for detecting lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). More rapid fast-FLAIR imaging of the brain can be achieved by the concomitant use of half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE-FLAIR) and echo-planar imaging (EPI-FLAIR). The present study was performed in a large cohort of subjects to assess and compare the number and volume of brain lesions detected by the fast-FLAIR, HASTE-FLAIR, and EPI-FLAIR sequences in patients with MS.METHODS: Fast-FLAIR, HASTE-FLAIR, and EPI-FLAIR sequences were obtained from 46 consecutive MS patients. Lesions seen on each type of sequence were counted and classified by consensus by two observers. Lesion volumes were measured using a semiautomated segmentation technique based on local thresholding.RESULTS: The quality of the fast-FLAIR images was significantly better than that of HASTE-FLAIR and EPI-FLAIR images. Fast-FLAIR revealed significantly more lesions and higher lesion volumes than did HASTE-FLAIR and EPI-FLAIR. A similar number of large lesions was detected by the three sequences, but HASTE-FLAIR and EPI-FLAIR showed significantly fewer small and intermediate lesions than did fast-FLAIR. The number of lesions seen on HASTE-FLAIR and EPI-FLAIR images was similar.CONCLUSION: HASTE-FLAIR and EPI-FLAIR sequences revealed as many large MS lesions as fast-FLAIR. Because their acquisition times are only a fraction of that needed for fast-FLAIR sequences, they may be useful for making a rapid diagnosis of MS in uncooperative patients. Their reduced ability to detect smaller lesions indicates that they should not be used as a routine approach to imaging patients with MS.