In:
Acta Radiologica, SAGE Publications, Vol. 56, No. 4 ( 2015-04), p. 471-476
Abstract:
Incomplete fat suppression induced by magnetic field inhomogeneity is difficult to compensate for with hardware magnetic-field shimming. Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of a silicone device used to obtain homogeneous fat suppression during 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the foot. Material and Methods Thirty-eight healthy volunteers were enrolled and examined twice, before (group A) and after (group B) the application of a silicone device. Fat-saturated, T2-weighted, fast spin-echo images were acquired using the same scanning protocol at both examinations. Signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios (SNR and CNR) were calculated and compared in the four regions of interest (ROIs). ROI 1 and 2 were selected from toe-side bone and soft tissue, while ROI 3 and 4 were selected from proximal bone and soft tissue. Qualitative analysis using a four-point scale was performed for three categories. The categories are as follows: the overall image quality, homogeneity of the first phalange and metatarsal bone, respectively. Results The SNR and CNR in ROI 1 and 2 were significantly higher in group A than in group B (SNR; P 〈 0.001, CNR; P 〈 0.001), and there were no significant difference in ROI 3 and 4. The qualitative score of the overall fat suppression in group B was significantly higher than that in group A ( P 〈 0.001). Homogeneity of the first phalange in group B was also significantly higher than that in group A ( P 〈 0.001). On the other hand, the homogeneity of the metatarsal bone was not significantly different in the two groups. Conclusion The use of a silicone device provides homogeneous fat suppression in 3T MRI of the foot and can significantly improve image quality.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0284-1851
,
1600-0455
DOI:
10.1177/0284185114531572
Language:
English
Publisher:
SAGE Publications
Publication Date:
2015
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2024579-8
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