Three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-echo dual echo (3D-FSPGR-DE) with water reconstruction: preliminary experience with a novel pulse sequence for gadolinium-enhanced abdominal MR imaging

Abstract

Purpose: To compare three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-echo dual-echo (3D-FSPGR-DE) with water reconstruction to conventional 3D-FSPGR for gadolinium-enhanced abdominal imaging.

Materials and methods: Sixty-five patients underwent abdominal MRI on a 1.5T GE-HDx MR scanner using gadolinium-enhanced 3D-FSPGR and 3D-FSPGR-DE imaging. Qualitatively, FSPGR-DE and 3D-FSPGR images were reviewed side by side for normal anatomic structures, artifacts, and image quality. The images were reviewed separately for abnormalities of abdominal organs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed. Quantitative analysis measured mean signal intensity of liver, spleen, aorta, liver lesions, and noise.

Results: Observers preferred FSPGR-DE for evaluating liver, vessels, muscles, and subcutaneous tissues. Fat suppression was superior on FSPGR-DE in 63 (0.97) and 61 (0.94) of 65 cases for two observers. FSPGR-DE showed less susceptibility artifact in 47 (0.72) and 41 (0.63) cases, better signal in edge slices in 60 (0.92) and 60 (0.92) cases, less phase artifact in 42 (0.65) and 45 (0.69) cases, and less parallel imaging artifact in 13 (0.20) and 10 (0.15) cases. Images were equivalent for depicting abdominal findings with no difference in the area under the ROC curve. FSPGR-DE images showed a 20%, 29%, and 34% increase in liver, splenic, and aortic signal, respectively, and a 45% and 62% increase in liver-lesion contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), respectively.

Conclusion: Gadolinium-enhanced 3D-FSPGR-DE with water reconstruction provides volumetric abdominal imaging with superior image quality, more homogeneous fat suppression, reduced artifacts, and improved image signal and homogeneity.