J Korean Soc Magn Reson Med.  1999 Mar;3(1):60-65.

Medium Tau Inversion Recovery(MTIR) Sequence for White Matter Suppression in Brain Cortical Lesions

• Chung GH
• Lee JM
• Kim CS

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the image quality, contrast characteristics, and possible clinical utility of Medium Tau Invesion Recovery(MTIR) sequence with white matter suppression in patients with brain cortical lesion.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Two normal volunteers and twenty-one patients with cortical lesion were scanned with MTIR as well as other MR imaging sequences. Gray-white matter contrast was evaluated objectively using region-of-interest calculations, including percent contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR). MTIR sequence was visually compared with other sequences in 21 patients with cortical lesion including conspicuity and detection rate.
RESULTS
MTIR sequence had the highest percent contrast and CNR between the gray matter and white matter. In twenty-one cases of cortical lesion including cortical dysplasia, MTIR sequence improved delineation and conspicuity of lesion, but MTIR sequence could not detect new lesions.
CONCLUSION
MTIR sequence demonstrated a superior percent contrast and CNR to other MR pulse sequences. The MTIR sequence well delineated the cortical lesions, particularly in including cortical dysplasia. It may be used as an adjunctive imaging sequence in case of poor gray and white matter differentiation with conventional T1-weighted sequences.

Keyword

Brain; Migration anomalies Brain; MR studies Fast spin echo; Inversion recovery; White matter

MeSH Terms

Brain*
Healthy Volunteers
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Malformations of Cortical Development