Abstract
Objective
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of readout-segmented
echo-planar imaging (rs-EPI) in the diagnosis of acute infarction of the brainstem
and posterior fossa, by comparing its results with those of single-shot echo-planar
imaging (ss-EPI) at 3-T magnetic resonance imaging.
Materials and methods
Twenty-nine patients with acute infarctions of the brainstem and posterior fossa underwent
both ss-EPI and rs-EPI. Two readers independently assessed two sets of diffusion-weighted
(DW) images for the qualitative comparison of image quality. Signal-to-noise ratio
(SNR), lesion contrast, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated for the
assessment of image parameters.
Results
There were no significant differences in the conspicuity of acute infarction upon
qualitative comparison; however, distinctions of anatomical structures, susceptibility
artifact, the presence of uncertain high signal intensity in the brain parenchyma,
and overall image quality were significantly better in rs-EPI DW images. There were
no significant differences in SNR, lesion contrast, CNR, and apparent diffusion coefficient
values of acute infarction and normal thalamus between rs-EPI and ss-EPI.
Conclusion
rs-EPI DWI is a clinically useful technique for evaluating lesions in the brainstem
and posterior fossa by producing high-resolution DW images with reduced susceptibility
artifact. However, there are no significant differences in the conspicuity of acute
infarctions in the brainstem and posterior fossa between rs-EPI and ss-EPI.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 08, 2015
Accepted:
June 1,
2015
Received in revised form:
May 2,
2015
Received:
February 13,
2015
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
