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American Journal of Roentgenology, Vol 168, 651-655, Copyright © 1997 by American Roentgen Ray Society
ARTICLES |
M Niitsu, YO Tanaka, I Anno and Y Itai
Department of Radiology, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to apply multishot echoplanar MR imaging (EPI) to the female pelvis and compare image quality with that of fast spin-echo MR imaging. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients with suspected pelvic disease and five healthy female volunteers were prospectively examined. MR imaging was obtained using an EPI-capable 1.0-T imager and a pelvic phased-array coil. Axial EPI and fast Spin-echo sequences were obtained at identical image locations in each patient and volunteer. Spin-echo EPI images were obtained using a multishot number of 16. Acquisition time for each EPI sequence was 2 min 10 sec. Fat-suppressed T2-weighted fast spin-echo images were obtained in 2 min 12 sec. Paired EPI and fast spin-echo MR images were independently evaluated by three reviewers. RESULTS: Delineation of the perivaginal and parametrial venous plexus on EPI was rated superior to the fast spin-echo images in 62 (77%) of 81 cases. On EPI, uterine zone anatomy and ovary visualization were judged to be inferior in 44 (56%) of 78 cases and in 18 (33%) of 54 cases, respectively. For delineation of uterine abnormalities, including leiomyoma and adenomyosis, both sequences performed almost equally well. However, ovarian cystic lesions were revealed more precisely by the fast spin-echo sequence. An overall fat-suppression effect was seen on EPI images in 62 (77%) of 81 cases. CONCLUSION: Multishot EPI cannot replace fast spin-echo sequences for imaging the female pelvis; however, because EPI has a potent fat-suppression effect and heavily T2-weighted contrast, EPI sequences can be a valuable adjunct to routine examination.
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M. Katayama, T. Masui, S. Kobayashi, T. Ito, H. Sakahara, A. Nozaki, and H. Kabasawa Evaluation of Pelvic Adhesions Using Multiphase and Multislice MR Imaging with Kinematic Display Am. J. Roentgenol., July 1, 2001; 177(1): 107 - 110. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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