Improved MRI Depiction of Intracranial and Spinal Cord Vascular Lesions Using Thin Section FSE T2 Imaging Sequences

Abstract

Conventional MR and MRA techniques may not accurately depict intracranial and spinal vascular anatomy and pathology. By relying on the intravascular signal void of flowing blood and the ability to obtain contiguous images, thin section FSE T2 imaging techniques including three dimensional imaging improve depiction of vessels and increase diagnostic accuracy.

The images produced by these techniques both compliment MRA and correlate well with findings at catheter-based diagnostic angiography. A pitfall is the imaging of vascular structures adjacent to nonvascular structures also having signal voids. As in other MR techniques differentiation between slow flow and occlusion may be difficult.