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Improved visualization of breast lesions with gadolinium‐enhanced magnetization transfer MR imaging
Author(s) -
Schreiber Wolfgang G.,
Brix Gunnar,
Knopp Michael V.,
Heß Thomas,
Lorenz Walter J.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.1910350612
Subject(s) - magnetization transfer , flash (photography) , magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear medicine , gadolinium , medicine , imaging phantom , pulse sequence , contrast (vision) , radiology , materials science , optics , physics , metallurgy
A pulse sequence with magnetization transfer as the main contrast mechanism (MT‐FLASH) was developed for improved imaging of breast lesions that requires neither fat suppression nor postprocessing. After optimization of the sequence in phantom and volunteer studies, a clinical pilot study with 14 patients was performed. In carcinomas the relative signal increase after Gd‐DTPA administration was on average 34% in MT‐FLASH images compared with 169% in conventional T 1 weighted (T1W) three‐dimensional FLASH images. In MT‐FLASH images, all lesions demonstrated a signal intensity higher than that of fat; in T1W images, all lesions have a lower signal intensity. The average postcontrast carcinoma‐to‐fat contrast‐to‐noise ratios were +11.6 and −14.2, respectively. The conspicutty of 12 of 13 carcinomas was improved in postcontrast MT‐FLASH images compared with postcontrast T1w images. Thus, MT‐FLASH imaging enables excellent visualization of Gd‐DTPA‐enhancing breast lesions.