Abstract
Objective: To assess the usefulness of a postcontrast 3-D Fourier transform (3DFT) gradient-echo (GRE) technique in dural sinus invasion and extension of extraaxial intracranial tumors in comparison with a conventional spin-echo (SE) technique.
Material and Methods: Fourteen consecutive patients with 15 extra-axial tumors in contiguity with the dural sinus, including 14 meningiomas and 1 adenoid cystic carcinoma, underwent postcontrast T1-weighted SE and GRE MR studies. Detectability of dural sinus invasion and extension was evaluated using two sequences by two neuroradiologists in a blinded manner and compared with surgical results. Quantitative analysis was also performed to calculate the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between lesion and dural sinus on SE and GRE images. The data were analyzed statistically using a matched paired t-test.
Results: In the qualitative evaluation, the detectability of dural sinus invasion in 3DFT-GRE images was superior to that using SE images. The mean CNR for all lesions was 3.86 on SE images and 5.63 on 3DFT-GRE images (p = 0.03).
Conclusion: For evaluation of dural sinus invasion and the extension of extra-axial tumors, postcontrast 3DFT-GRE MR images were superior to conventional SE images.
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