Contrast-enhanced, three-dimensional, whole-brain, black-blood imaging: Application to small brain metastases

• Published in: Magnetic resonance in medicine Vol. 63; no. 3; pp. 553 - 561
• Main Authors: Park, Jaeseok, Kim, Eung Yeop
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.03.2010
• Subjects: Algorithms; black blood; Blood; Brain Neoplasms - pathology; Brain Neoplasms - secondary; Brain tumors; Contrast Media; contrast-enhanced; Humans; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; Inversion; magnetic resonance imaging; Metastases; metastatic tumor; MRI; N.M.R; Neuroimaging; Parenchyma; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; three dimensional; variable flip angle
• ISSN: 0740-3194; 1522-2594; 1522-2594
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.22261

Contrast‐enhanced three‐dimensional T1‐weighted imaging based on magnetization‐prepared rapid‐gradient recalled echo is widely used for detecting small brain metastases. However, since contrast materials remain in both blood and the tumor parenchyma and thus increase the signal intensity of both regions, it is often challenging to distinguish brain tumors from blood. In this work, we develop a T1‐weighted, black‐blood version of single‐slab three‐dimensional turbo/fast spin echo whole‐brain imaging, in which the signal intensity of the brain tumor is selectively enhanced while that of blood is suppressed. For blood suppression, variable refocusing flip angles with flow‐sensitizing gradients are employed. To avoid a signal loss resulting from the flow‐sensitizing scheme, the first refocusing flip angle is forced to 180°. Composite restore pulses at the end of refocusing pulse train are applied to achieve partial inversion recovery for the T1‐weighted contrast. Simulations and in vivo volunteer and patient experiments are performed, demonstrating that this approach is highly efficient in detecting small brain metastases. Magn Reson Med 63:553–561, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.