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. 2025 May;55(6):1138-1147.
doi: 10.1007/s00247-025-06213-6. Epub 2025 Mar 17.

Optimizing T2* imaging for adolescent and young adult patients at 7 T

Sergio Valencia  1   2 , Fedel Machado-Rivas  3   4 , Arman Avesta  3   4 , Emil J Barkovich  3   4 , Samuel C D Cartmell  3   4 , Simon K Warfield  4   5 , Camilo Jaimes  6   7 , Onur Afacan  8   9
Affiliations

Optimizing T2* imaging for adolescent and young adult patients at 7 T

Sergio Valencia et al. Pediatr Radiol. 2025 May.

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: T2*-weighted imaging at 7 T offers detailed visualization of brain structures, but image quality and artifacts depend on echo time (TE) adjustments. Optimizing TE is crucial for tissue contrast and artifact minimization.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of TE on tissue contrast and image quality in T2*-weighted sequences at 7 T in adolescents and young adults.

Materials and methods: Ten adolescent and young adult patients underwent 7-T MRI with multi-echo T2*-weighted sequences. Six TEs (8.1 ms to 36 ms) were acquired. Signal contrast ratios (CR) for seven brain regions-caudate nuclei, corpus callosum genu, frontal cortex, cortical veins, globi pallidi, medullary veins, and left optic radiation-were analyzed. Two blinded neuroradiologists assessed image quality and artifact severity using a 4-point Likert scale (IQS). Statistical trends were analyzed using the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The study cohort consisted of 4 male and 6 females; the median age of the patients was 16 years (range 15-23 years). CR increased significantly with higher TEs for most regions except the caudate, where CR decreased (P < 0.05). Longer TEs led to greater artifact severity in the brainstem, temporal, occipital, and frontal lobes (P < 0.02), but not in parietal lobes (P > 0.05). Kappa agreement for IQS was 0.76.

Conclusion: TE significantly affects contrast and artifacts in 7-T T2*-weighted imaging. TEs between 20 and 30 ms offer the best balance between tissue contrast and artifact severity, optimizing image quality for clinical and research applications.

Keywords: 7 T; Artifacts; Child; Corpus callosum; Magnetic resonance imaging; Young adult.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

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