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Comparison of breath‐hold T1‐weighted MR sequences for imaging of the liver
Author(s) -
Semelka Richard C.,
Willms Ann Bagley,
Brown Mark A.,
Brown Elizabeth D.,
Finn J. Paul
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.1880040602
Subject(s) - coronal plane , nuclear medicine , image quality , magnetic resonance imaging , artifact (error) , medicine , flash (photography) , physics , computer science , artificial intelligence , radiology , optics , image (mathematics)
Three rapid T1‐weighted gradient‐echo techniques for imaging of the liver were compared: fast low‐angle shot (FLASH) and section‐selective (SSTF) and non‐section‐selective (NSTF) inversion‐recovery TurboFLASH. Ten healthy volunteers were imaged at 1.5 T, with breath‐hold images acquired in the transaxial and coronal planes and non‐breath‐hold images in the transaxial plane. Breath‐hold images were evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively, and non–breath‐hold images were evaluated qualitatively. FLASH images had significantly higher ( P <.001) spleenliver signal difference–to‐noise ratios (SD/Ns) than NSTF and SSTF images. Liver signal‐to‐noise ratios (S/Ns) were significantly higher ( P <.001) on FLASH images than on NSTF and SSTF images. With breath hold. FLASH images were rated as having the highest quality in the axial plane, followed by NSTF and SSTF images. In the coronal plane, NSTF images were rated as having the highest quality. For images acquired during patient respiration, NSTF images had the highest quality and showed the least degradation. The results suggest that FLASH images have the highest SD/N and S/N for liver imaging and have the highest quality in the axial plane. In patients who cannot suspend respiration, NSTF images may be least affected by breathing artifact and provide reasonable image quality.