Lavdas Eleftherios, Vlychou Marianna, Arikidis Nikos, Kapsalaki Eftychia, Roka Violetta, Fezoulidis Ioannis V
Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Larissa, Medical School of Thessaly, Mezourlo, Greece.
Acta Radiol. 2010 Apr;51(3):290-5. doi: 10.3109/02841850903501650.
T1-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence has been reported to provide improved contrast between lesions and normal anatomical structures compared to T1-weighted fast spin-echo (FSE) imaging at 1.5T regarding imaging of the lumbar spine.
To compare T1-weighted FSE and fast T1-weighted FLAIR imaging in normal anatomic structures and degenerative and metastatic lesions of the lumbar spine at 3.0T.
Thirty-two consecutive patients (19 females, 13 males; mean age 44 years, range 30-67 years) with lesions of the lumbar spine were prospectively evaluated. Sagittal images of the lumbar spine were obtained using T1-weighted FSE and fast T1-weighted FLAIR sequences. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses measuring the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and relative contrast (ReCon) between degenerative and metastatic lesions and normal anatomic structures were conducted, comparing these sequences.
On quantitative evaluation, SNRs of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), nerve root, and fat around the root of fast T1-weighted FLAIR imaging were significantly lower than those of T1-weighted FSE images (P<0.001). CNRs of normal spinal cord/CSF and disc herniation/ CSF for fast T1-weighted FLAIR images were significantly higher than those for T1-weighted FSE images (P<0.001). ReCon of normal spinal cord/CSF, disc herniation/CSF, and vertebral lesions/CSF for fast T1-weighted FLAIR images were significantly higher than those for T1-weighted FSE images (P<0.001). On qualitative evaluation, it was found that CSF nulling and contrast at the spinal cord (cauda equina)/CSF interface for T1-weighted FLAIR images were significantly superior compared to those for T1-weighted FSE images (P<0.001), and the disc/spinal cord (cauda equina) interface was better for T1-weighted FLAIR images (P<0.05).
The T1-weighted FLAIR sequence may be considered as the preferred lumbar spine imaging sequence compared to T1-weighted FSE, as it has demonstrated superior CSF nulling, better conspicuousness of normal anatomic structures and degenerative and metastatic lesions, and improved image contrast.
据报道，在1.5T场强下进行腰椎成像时，与T1加权快速自旋回波（FSE）成像相比，T1加权液体衰减反转恢复（FLAIR）序列能更好地显示病变与正常解剖结构之间的对比度。
在3.0T场强下比较T1加权FSE和快速T1加权FLAIR成像在腰椎正常解剖结构、退变及转移病变中的表现。
前瞻性评估32例连续的腰椎病变患者（19例女性，13例男性；平均年龄44岁，范围30 - 67岁）。使用T1加权FSE和快速T1加权FLAIR序列获取腰椎矢状位图像。对退变及转移病变与正常解剖结构之间的信噪比（SNR）、对比噪声比（CNR）和相对对比度（ReCon）进行定性和定量分析，比较这些序列。
在定量评估中，快速T1加权FLAIR成像的脑脊液（CSF）、神经根及神经根周围脂肪的SNR显著低于T1加权FSE图像（P<0.001）。快速T1加权FLAIR图像的正常脊髓/CSF及椎间盘突出/CSF的CNR显著高于T1加权FSE图像（P<0.001）。快速T1加权FLAIR图像的正常脊髓/CSF、椎间盘突出/CSF及椎体病变/CSF的ReCon显著高于T1加权FSE图像（P<0.001）。在定性评估中，发现T1加权FLAIR图像的CSF抑制及脊髓（马尾）/CSF界面的对比度显著优于T1加权FSE图像（P<0.001），且T1加权FLAIR图像的椎间盘/脊髓（马尾）界面更好（P<0.05）。
与T1加权FSE相比，T1加权FLAIR序列可被视为腰椎成像的首选序列，因为它具有更好的CSF抑制、能更清晰显示正常解剖结构以及退变和转移病变，且图像对比度更高。
