Breath-hold Fast Recovery Fast Spin Echo versus Conventional Non-Breath-hold Fast Spin Echo T2-Weighted MR Imaging of Focal Liver Lesions
G Y Tseng, C H Thng, E H Wong, A G S Tan, P Suman, S T Quek, J T S Ho, J K B Khoo, L L P J Ooi, P K H Chow, Y F A Chung, C S C Teh- General Medicine
Introduction: We compare the breath-hold fast recovery fast spin echo (BHFRFSE) T2-weighted and non-breath-hold fast spin echo (NBHFSE) T2-weighted sequences in image quality and lesion characterisation of focal liver lesions. Materials and Methods: Fat-suppressed T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images obtained with the 2 sequences (BHFRFSE and NBHFSE) in 79 patients with 113 liver lesions were analysed retrospectively. The image quality and nature of the lesions were evaluated by 2 experienced radiologists. Results: Based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, lesion characterisation was comparable for both sequences. The image quality of BHFRFSE was significantly better than that of NBHFSE. The NBHFSE missed 4 malignant lesions while BHFRFSE missed 2 malignant lesions. Conclusion: BHFRFSE performs similarly to NBHFSE in image quality and liver lesion characterisation.