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The authors compared the degree of perilymphatic enhancement and the detection rate of endolymphatic hydrops using constant and variable flip angle sequences in 16 patients with 3T MR imaging. Both for symptomatic and asymptomatic ears, the median signal intensity ratio was significantly higher with the constant flip angle than with the heavily-T2 variable flip angle. Cochlear blood-labyrinth barrier impairment was observed in 4/18 symptomatic ears with the heavily-T2 variable flip angle versus 8/19 with constant flip angle sequences. They conclude that 3D-FLAIR constant flip angle sequences provide a higher signal intensity ratio and are superior to heavily-T2 variable flip angle sequences in reliably evaluating the cochlear blood-labyrinth barrier impairment.