Multiple-slice spin lock imaging of head and neck tumors at 0.1 Tesla: exploring appropriate imaging parameters with...

Spin lock imaging has been shown to be useful in characterizing head and neck tumors. The purposes of this study were to explore and develop multiple-slice spin lock gradient-echo (SL-GRE) sequences for head and neck imaging and to compare the tumor contrast on SL images to spin-echo (SE) T2-weighted images at 0.1 T.

On the basis of measured relaxation times of tumors and head and neck tissues, the authors evaluated with signal equations the effect of imaging parameters on tissue contrast produced by the SL-GRE sequence. In the clinical study, 34 patients with pathologically verified head and neck tumors were imaged with multiple-slice SL-GRE (repetition time 1500 ms/echo time 30 ms) out-of-phase fat/water sequences and compared with T2-weighted SE (repetition time 1500 ms/echo time 120 ms) sequences. The conspicuity of tumors was evaluated by calculating the contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs).

The combination of a short echo time of 30 ms and the length of locking pulses in the range of 10 to 35 ms produced optimal CNRs for head and neck tumor imaging. The measured CNRs and subjective evaluation for tumor detection were satisfactory with both imaging sequences. However, the CNRs between tumors and salivary gland tissues were significantly greater with the SL sequence than with the T2-weighted sequence.

The multiple-slice SL-GRE technique provides image contrast comparable to that of SE T2-weighted imaging for head and neck tumors at 0.1 T. With short locking pulse lengths and echo times, wide anatomic coverage and reduced motion and susceptibility artifacts can be achieved. The out-of-phase SL technique is useful in imaging salivary gland tumors.