Keiper M D, Grossman R I, Brunson J C, Schnall M D
Department Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 1997 Jun-Jul;18(6):1035-9.
To confirm the expected superiority of fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) over conventional fast spin-echo MR imaging in the detection of multiple sclerosis (MS) of the spinal cord.
Fifteen subjects with known MS involving the spinal cord and brain were studied prospectively. The entire cord was imaged with a phased-array coil on a 1.5-T MR system. Sagittal T1-weighted and fast spin-echo proton density- and T2-weighted images were followed by fast FLAIR images. FLAIR parameters were varied to optimize lesion conspicuity with optimal inversion times (TIs) ranging from 2400 to 2600. Lesion conspicuity and detection were compared between the fast spin-echo and FLAIR images by three radiologists who reached agreement by consensus.
The FLAIR technique effectively suppressed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) signal and reduced CSF pulsation and truncation artifacts in all cases. Shorter imaging parameters (repetition time of 4000 to 6000, TI of 1500 to 2000) uniformly decreased lesion conspicuity in all subjects. Of 11 cord lesions in five subjects imaged with the longer parameters (repetition time of 8000 to 11,000, TI of 2400 to 2600), three were not seen on FLAIR images, four were less conspicuous on FLAIR images, and four were seen equally or better on FLAIR images.
Although successful in suppressing CSF signal and reducing imaging artifacts, fast FLAIR imaging appears unreliable in the detection of MS lesions in the spinal cord.
证实液体衰减反转恢复（FLAIR）序列在检测脊髓多发性硬化（MS）方面优于传统快速自旋回波磁共振成像。
对15例已知患有累及脊髓和脑部MS的受试者进行前瞻性研究。使用1.5-T磁共振系统上的相控阵线圈对整个脊髓进行成像。先进行矢状位T1加权、快速自旋回波质子密度加权和T2加权成像，然后进行快速FLAIR成像。改变FLAIR参数以优化病变显示，最佳反转时间（TI）范围为2400至2600。由三位放射科医生对快速自旋回波图像和FLAIR图像的病变显示及检测情况进行比较，并通过达成共识得出一致意见。
FLAIR技术在所有病例中均有效抑制了脑脊液（CSF）信号，减少了CSF搏动和截断伪影。较短的成像参数（重复时间为4000至6000，TI为1500至2000）在所有受试者中均一致降低了病变显示。在使用较长参数（重复时间为8000至11000，TI为2400至2600）成像的5例受试者的11个脊髓病变中，3个在FLAIR图像上未显示，4个在FLAIR图像上显示不明显，4个在FLAIR图像上显示相同或更好。
尽管快速FLAIR成像成功抑制了CSF信号并减少了成像伪影，但在检测脊髓MS病变方面似乎不可靠。
