CHEST MRI USING MULTIVANE XD, A NOVEL T2 WEIGHTED FREE BREATHING MR SEQUENCE

Abstract Objective To compare image quality of free-breathing T2 weighted MultiVane-XD (MVXD) sequence (non-Cartesian k-space filling using radial rectangular blades) with conventional MR sequences (Short tau inversion recovery (STIR), Balanced True Field Echo (BTFE), T1 in phase fast field echo (T1 FFE) and T1- fat saturated post gadolinium (T1PG)) in MR imaging of chest. Materials and Methods Twenty one patients (10 men and 11 women) underwent chest MRI including T2W MVXD, STIR, BTFE (18/21), T1 FFE, T1PG (10/21) sequences at 1.5T. Two reviewers (A.S.B and M.J. with 20 and 10 years of experience in pulmonary imaging, respectively) evaluated each sequence with respect to overall image quality, image sharpness, definition of mediastinal vessels including the aorta, pulmonary arteries, superior vena cava, intrapulmonary vessels; trachea, main bronchi, intrapulmonary airways; lung- mediastinal interface, pulmonary lesion detection and artefacts in the upper, middle and lower third of chest using five-point scales. No sedation was given. Pairwise comparisons between T2W MVXD and the four conventional sequences were made using unpaired student's T-test. Results Mean age of patients was 30.67 years (range- 6-60 years). T2 MVXD showed significantly better overall image quality and sharpness than STIR, T1 FFE and T1PG (p Conclusion By virtue of its better overall image quality, sharpness, superior visualisation of mediastinal airways and lesion detection, T2 MultiVane XD promises to be a robust addition in the armamentarium of thoracic radiologists.