Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Direct Visualization of Tracer Permeation into the Endolymph in Human Patients Using MR Imaging.","authors":"Shinji Naganawa, Rintaro Ito, M. Kawamura, Toshiaki Taoka, Tadao Yoshida, M. Sone","doi":"10.2463/mrms.mp.2024-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2463/mrms.mp.2024-0011","url":null,"abstract":"PURPOSE\u0000The endolymph of the inner ear, vital for balance and hearing, has long been considered impermeable to intravenously administered gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) due to the tight blood-endolymph barrier. However, anecdotal observations suggested potential GBCA entry in delayed heavily T2-weighted 3D-real inversion recovery (IR) MRI scans. This study systematically investigated GBCA distribution in the endolymph using this 3D-real IR sequence.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000Forty-one patients suspected of endolymphatic hydrops (EHs) underwent pre-contrast, 4-h, and 24-h post-contrast 3D-real IR imaging. Signal intensity in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), perilymph, and endolymph was measured and analyzed for temporal dynamics of GBCA uptake, correlations between compartments, and the influence of age and presence of EH.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000Endolymph showed a delayed peak GBCA uptake at 24h, contrasting with peaks in perilymph and CSF at 4h. Weak to moderate positive correlations between endolymph and CSF contrast effect were observed at both 4 (r = 0.483) and 24h (r = 0.585), suggesting possible inter-compartmental interactions. Neither the presence of EH nor age significantly influenced endolymph enhancement. However, both perilymph and CSF contrast effects significantly correlated with age at both time points.\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSION\u0000This study provides the first in vivo systematic confirmation of GBCA entering the endolymph following intravenous administration. Notably, endolymph uptake peaked at 24h, significantly later than perilymph and CSF. The lack of a link between endolymph contrast and both perilymph and age suggests distinct uptake mechanisms. These findings shed light on inner ear fluid dynamics and their potential implications in Ménière's disease and other inner ear disorders.","PeriodicalId":94126,"journal":{"name":"Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine","volume":"56 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140748681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diffusion Tensor Image Analysis ALong the Perivascular Space (DTI-ALPS): Revisiting the Meaning and Significance of the Method.","authors":"Toshiaki Taoka, Rintaro Ito, Rei Nakamichi, T. Nakane, H. Kawai, Shinji Naganawa","doi":"10.2463/mrms.rev.2023-0175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2463/mrms.rev.2023-0175","url":null,"abstract":"More than 5 years have passed since the Diffusion Tensor Image Analysis ALong the Perivascular Space (DTI-ALPS) method was proposed with the intention of evaluating the glymphatic system. This method is handy due to its noninvasiveness, provision of a simple index in a straightforward formula, and the possibility of retrospective analysis. Therefore, the ALPS method was adopted to evaluate the glymphatic system for many disorders in many studies. The purpose of this review is to look back and discuss the ALPS method at this moment.The ALPS-index was found to be an indicator of a number of conditions related to the glymphatic system. Thus, although this was expected in the original report, the results of the ALPS method are often interpreted as uniquely corresponding to the function of the glymphatic system. However, a number of subsequent studies have pointed out the problems on the data interpretation. As they rightly point out, a higher ALPS-index indicates predominant Brownian motion of water molecules in the radial direction at the lateral ventricular body level, no more and no less. Fortunately, the term \"ALPS-index\" has become common and is now known as a common term by many researchers. Therefore, the ALPS-index should simply be expressed as high or low, and whether it reflects a glymphatic system is better to be discussed carefully. In other words, when a decreased ALPS-index is observed, it should be expressed as \"decreased ALPS-index\" and not directly as \"glymphatic dysfunction\". Recently, various methods have been proposed to evaluate the glymphatic system. It has become clear that these methods also do not seem to reflect the entirety of the extremely complex glymphatic system. This means that it would be desirable to use various methods in combination to evaluate the glymphatic system in a comprehensive manner.","PeriodicalId":94126,"journal":{"name":"Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine","volume":"74 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140751779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of Echo-Planar Imaging and Compressed Sensing in the Estimation of Flow Metrics from Aortic 4D Flow MR Imaging: A Healthy Volunteer Study.","authors":"Satoru Aono, Satonori Tsuneta, Noriko Nishioka, Takuya Aoike, Hiroyuki Hirayama, Kinya Ishizaka, Jihun Kwon, Masami Yoneyama, Noriyuki Fujima, Kohsuke Kudo","doi":"10.2463/mrms.mp.2023-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2463/mrms.mp.2023-0011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Prolonged scanning of time-resolved 3D phase-contrast MRI (4D flow MRI) limits its routine use in clinical practice. An echo-planar imaging (EPI)-based sequence and compressed sensing can reduce the scan duration. We aimed to determine the impact of EPI for 4D flow MRI on the scan duration, image quality, and quantitative flow metrics.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a prospective study of 15 healthy volunteers (all male, mean age 33 ± 5 years). Conventional sensitivity encoding (SENSE), EPI with SENSE (EPI), and compressed SENSE (CS) (reduction factors: 6 and 12, respectively) were scanned.Scan duration, qualitative indexes of image quality, and quantitative flow parameters of net flow volume, maximum flow velocity, wall shear stress (WSS), and energy loss (EL) in the ascending aorta were assessed. Two-dimensional phase-contrast cine MRI (2D-PC) was considered the gold standard of net flow volume and maximum flow velocity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared to SENSE, EPI and CS12 shortened scan durations by 71% and 73% (EPI, 4 min 39 sec; CS6, 7 min 29 sec; CS12, 4 min 14 sec; and SENSE, 15 min 51 sec). Visual image quality was significantly better for EPI than for SENSE and CS (P < 0.001). The net flow volumes obtained with SENSE, EPI, and CS12 and those obtained with 2D-PC were correlated well (r = 0.950, 0.871, and 0.850, respectively). However, the maximum velocity obtained with EPI was significantly underestimated (P < 0.010). The average WSS was significantly higher with EPI than with SENSE, CS6, and CS12 (P < 0.001, P = 0.040, and P = 0.012, respectively). The EL was significantly lower with EPI than with CS6 and CS12 (P = 0.002 and P = 0.007, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>EPI reduced the scan duration, improved visual image quality, and was associated with more accurate net flow volume than CS. However, the flow velocity, WSS, and EL values obtained with EPI and other sequences may not be directly comparable.</p>","PeriodicalId":94126,"journal":{"name":"Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140332400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characteristics of Suspicious Breast Lesions Visible Only on MR Imaging: Is It Possible to Classify into Immediate Biopsy and Careful Observation Groups?","authors":"Ryozo Kai, Mitsuhiro Tozaki, Yuya Koike, Aya Nagata, Kanae Taruno, Yoshimitsu Ohgiya","doi":"10.2463/mrms.mp.2023-0065","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2463/mrms.mp.2023-0065","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To investigate the characteristics of suspicious MRI-only visible lesions and to explore the validity of subcategorizing these lesions into the following two groups: lesions that would require immediate biopsy (4Bi) and lesions for which careful clinical follow-up could be recommended (4Fo).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective review of 108 MRI-only visible lesions in 106 patients who were diagnosed as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category 4 between June 2018 and June 2022 at our institution was performed by two radiologists. The breast MR images were evaluated according to BI-RADS and additional MRI descriptors (linear ductal, branching, and apparent diffusion coefficient values). The lesions were categorized by previously reported classification systems, and the positive predictive values (PPVs) for the different categories were determined and compared. Subsequently, a new classification system was developed in this study.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The total malignancy rate was 31% (34/108). No significant differences between benign and malignant lesions were identified for focus and mass lesions. For non-mass lesions, linear ductal and heterogeneous internal enhancement suggested a benign lesion (P = 0.0013 and P = 0.023, respectively), and branching internal enhancement suggested malignancy (P = 0.0066). Segmental distribution suggested malignancy (P = 0.0097). However, the PPV of segmental distribution with heterogeneous enhancement was significantly lower than that of category 4 segmental lesions with other enhancement patterns (11% vs. 59%; P = 0.0198).As a new classification, the distribution of focal, linear, and segmental was given a score of 0, 1, or 2, and the internal enhancement of heterogeneous, linear-ductal, clumped, branching, and clustered-ring enhancement was given a score of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. When categorized using a scoring system, a statistically significant difference in PPV was observed between 4Fo (n = 27) and 4Bi (n = 33) (7% vs. 61%, P = 0.000029).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The new classification system was found to be highly capable of subcategorizing BI-RADS category 4 MRI-only visible non-mass lesions into 4Fo and 4Bi.</p>","PeriodicalId":94126,"journal":{"name":"Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140208744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Imaging of ¹⁷O-labeled Water Using Fast T2 Mapping with T2-preparation: A Phantom Study.","authors":"Hiroyuki Kameda, Yumi Nakada, Yuta Urushibata, Hiroyuki Sugimori, Takaaki Fujii, Naoya Kinota, Daisuke Kato, Minghui Tang, Keita Sakamoto, Kohsuke Kudo","doi":"10.2463/mrms.tn.2023-0152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2463/mrms.tn.2023-0152","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>¹⁷O-labeled water is a T2-shortening contrast agent used in proton MRI and is a promising method for visualizing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics because it provides long-term tracking of water molecules. However, various external factors reduce the accuracy of ¹⁷O-concentration measurements using conventional signal-intensity-based methods. In addition, T2 mapping, which is expected to provide a stable assessment, is generally limited to temporal-spatial resolution. We developed the T2-prepared based on T2 mapping used in cardiac imaging to adapt to long T2 values and tested whether it could accurately measure ¹⁷O-concentration in the CSF using a phantom. The results showed that ¹⁷O-concentration in a fluid mimicking CSF could be evaluated with an accuracy comparable to conventional T2-mapping (Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill multi-echo spin-echo method). This method allows ¹⁷O-imaging with a high temporal resolution and stability in proton MRI. This imaging technique may be promising for visualizing CSF dynamics using ¹⁷O-labeled water.</p>","PeriodicalId":94126,"journal":{"name":"Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140144902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Automated Detection of Cerebral Microbleeds on Two-dimensional Gradient-recalled Echo T2* Weighted Images Using a Morphology Filter Bank and Convolutional Neural Network.","authors":"Noriko Nishioka, Yukie Shimizu, Toru Shirai, Hisaaki Ochi, Yoshitaka Bito, Kiichi Watanabe, Hiroyuki Kameda, Taisuke Harada, Kohsuke Kudo","doi":"10.2463/mrms.mp.2023-0146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2463/mrms.mp.2023-0146","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>We present a novel algorithm for the automated detection of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) on 2D gradient-recalled echo T2* weighted images (T2*WIs). This approach combines a morphology filter bank with a convolutional neural network (CNN) to improve the efficiency of CMB detection. A technical evaluation was performed to ascertain the algorithm's accuracy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this retrospective study, 60 patients with CMBs on T2*WIs were included. The gold standard was set by three neuroradiologists based on the Microbleed Anatomic Rating Scale guidelines. Images with CMBs were extracted from the training dataset comprising 30 cases using a morphology filter bank, and false positives (FPs) were removed based on the threshold of size and signal intensity. The extracted images were used to train the CNN (Vgg16). To determine the effectiveness of the morphology filter bank, the outcomes of the following two methods for detecting CMBs from the 30-case test dataset were compared: (a) employing the morphology filter bank and additional FP removal and (b) comprehensive detection without filters. The trained CNN processed both sets of initial CMB candidates, and the final CMB candidates were compared with the gold standard. The sensitivity and FPs per patient of both methods were compared.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After CNN processing, the morphology-filter-bank-based method had a 95.0% sensitivity with 4.37 FPs per patient. In contrast, the comprehensive method had a 97.5% sensitivity with 25.87 FPs per patient.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Through effective CMB candidate refinement with a morphology filter bank and FP removal with a CNN, we achieved a high CMB detection rate and low FP count. Combining a CNN and morphology filter bank may facilitate the accurate automated detection of CMBs on T2*WIs.</p>","PeriodicalId":94126,"journal":{"name":"Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140144880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Utility of Diffusion-weighted MR Imaging for Evaluating the Depth of Invasion in Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma.","authors":"Hiroki Tanaka, Sho Koyasu, Masahiro Kikuchi, Mami Iima, Koichi Omori, Yuji Nakamoto","doi":"10.2463/mrms.mp.2023-0137","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2463/mrms.mp.2023-0137","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system included the depth of invasion (DOI) for the T classification of oral cancer. However, no standardized method has been established to clinically measure the DOI. This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of MRI-based DOI for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) in each MRI sequence.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We enrolled 49 patients with histologically proven OTSCC, treated surgically between April 2017 and February 2021. We divided the DOI into three groups using 5 and 10 mm, the thresholds for determining the T stage, and retrospectively evaluated the agreement between MRI-based DOI and pathological DOI (pDOI) for each MRI sequence, axial T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), T2-weighted imaging with fat suppression (FS-T2WI), contrast-enhanced T1WI with fat suppression (CE-T1WI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. We also divided the DOI into two groups using 3 mm, the threshold for considering elective neck dissection, and evaluated the overestimation rate of MRI-based DOI in lesions with pDOI ≤ 3 mm.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>With 5-mm and 10-mm divisions, the accuracy of the DOI assessment was highest on DWI (0.82, weighted kappa = 0.85). With a 3-mm division, the accuracy was also highest on DWI (0.87, kappa = 0.73). The overestimation rate of the MRI-based DOI in lesions with pDOI ≤ 3 mm was lowest on DWI (27.8%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>DOI on DWI exhibits a comparatively higher rate of concordance with pDOI. DWI may be more useful than other MRI sequences in evaluating the DOI of OTSCC.</p>","PeriodicalId":94126,"journal":{"name":"Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140051358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"4D Flow MRI Reflects Physiological Hemodynamics for the Diagnosis and Management of Portosystemic Shunts.","authors":"Atsushi Higaki, Akira Yamamoto, Toshimasa Okada, Tomio Ueno, Yasuyuki Tomiyama, Kosuke Ito, Tsutomu Tamada","doi":"10.2463/mrms.ici.2023-0161","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2463/mrms.ici.2023-0161","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A woman in her sixties with portosystemic shunt and hepatic encephalopathy underwent open mesenteric vein ligation, resulting in improved portal flow and blood ammonia. In this case, 4D flow MRI was a valuable diagnostic and follow-up tool, visualizing and quantifying physiological portal hemodynamics with features distinct from those of contrast-enhanced CT and digital subtraction angiography. Our case study highlights the value of 4D flow MRI for managing portosystemic shunts.</p>","PeriodicalId":94126,"journal":{"name":"Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139992243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Histological Properties of a Chemically Fixed Human Embryo Visualized with Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping.","authors":"Toru Shirai, Yasuhiko Terada, Katsumi Kose, Shigehito Yamada","doi":"10.2463/mrms.tn.2023-0149","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2463/mrms.tn.2023-0149","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A chemically fixed Carnegie stage 23 (approximately 56 days of gestation) human embryo specimen was imaged using 3D spin-echo and gradient-echo sequences in a static magnetic field strength of 4.74T, and a quantitative susceptibility map was calculated using the 3D gradient-echo image. The acquired 3D microscopic images (90 μm cube voxel size) clarified the relationship between R₂ (transverse relaxation rate), R₂* (apparent transverse relaxation rate), and magnetic susceptibility in the heart, liver, kidney, and spinal cord. The results suggested that the R₂* and magnetic susceptibility in each tissue were probably due to paramagnetic iron ions originating from erythrocytes. The large R₂* (~130 s^-1) and magnetic susceptibility (~0.122 ppm) in the liver were attributed to its hemopoietic function. A large magnetic susceptibility (~0.116 ppm) was also observed in the spinal cord, but we conclude that more detailed future studies are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":94126,"journal":{"name":"Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139992244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of 3D Magnetization-transfer- and Spectral-presaturation-with-inversion-recovery-based Neuromelanin Imaging.","authors":"Midori Kusama, Yukio Kimura, Masami Yoneyama, Takashi Namiki, Takeshi Tamaru, Kenji Miyagi, Noriko Sato","doi":"10.2463/mrms.mp.2023-0095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2463/mrms.mp.2023-0095","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Neuromelanin is visualized by optimizing the conditions of longitudinal relaxation (T1)-weighted imaging (T1WI). Although it was originally developed in 2D imaging, 3D imaging has been also reported, and T1WI sequences with magnetization transfer (MT) pulses are now widely used in 3D gradient echo (GRE) sequences. In this study, we assert that the use of spectral presaturation with inversion recovery (SPIR) may also be useful as an alternative to MT pulses, and we optimize SPIR and compare it with MT.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Neuromelanin images with MT pulse and SPIR (flip angles [FAs] = 19º, 22º, and 25º) were acquired from 30 healthy volunteers. To achieve the same acquisition time of 5 min, the slab thickness of the MT images was less than 1/3 of those of the SPIR images; the acquisition areas for MT and SPIR were the brainstem and the whole brain, respectively. Visual and quantitative evaluation was performed and compared on the four sequences acquired for the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and the locus coeruleus (LC). For visual assessment, we used the mean score from a 3-point scale by two evaluators. For quantitative evaluation, the contrast ratios of SNc and LC were calculated in comparison with the background tissue signal.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In visual assessments, the mean scores of the SPIR FA19º and FA22º images were better than others in the SNc. Regarding LC, the SPIR FA22º image yielded the best mean score. In quantitative evaluations, the MT image was significantly lower than the other three images in SNc. Regarding LC, there were no significant differences among the four acquired images (MT and SPIR FA19º, FA22º, and FA25º).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Detection of neuromelanin in SNc and LC was improved by the use of SPIR compared to MT pulse in 3D neuromelanin imaging.</p>","PeriodicalId":94126,"journal":{"name":"Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139934924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}