Iranian Journal of Medical Physics

Iranian Journal of Medical Physics

Effect of Echo Time on the Maximum Relationship between Contrast Agent Concentration and Signal Intensity Using FLAIR Sequence

Document Type : Original Paper

Authors
Mahmood Nazarpoor 1
Masoud Poureisa 2
Mohammad Hosein Daghighi 2
1 Department of Radiology, Faculty of Paramedicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
2 Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
10.22038/ijmp.2013.919
Abstract
Introduction
Contrast-enhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) is one of the MRI sequences that can be used for detection and evaluation of pathological changes in the brain. In this work, we have studied the effect of different echo times (TE) on the maximum relationship between signal intensity and concentration of the contrast agent using the FLAIR sequence.
Materials and Methods
For assessment of the relationship between signal intensity (SI) and concentration, a water-filled phantom containing vials of different concentrations of Gd-DTPA (0 to 19.77 mmol/L) was used. The mean SI was obtained in the region of interest when T1-weighted images were implemnted. The SI was corrected for coil non-uniformity.
Results
This study showed that an increase in TE is associated with a decrease in the maximum relationship between SI and concentration.
Conclusion
TE is an important parameter when the SI is measured in clinical FLAIR studies. The concentration leading to a maximum SI depends on this parameter, with the relevant concentration range decreasing at high TE.
Keywords
Concentration
Echo Time
FLAIR
Signal Intensity
T1-Weighted
Subjects
Iranian Journal of Medical Physics
Volume 10, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1
Winter & Spring 2013
March and April 2013
Pages 59-67

  • Receive Date 10 July 2013
  • Revise Date 02 March 2013
  • Accept Date 08 May 2013