MR myelography using heavily T2-weighted fast spin-echo pulse sequences with fat presaturation

A new method for generating myelogramlike images of the thecal sac by MR imaging is presented. The method is based on suppressing background signal by using heavily T2-weighted fast spin-echo pulse sequences and obliterating fat signal by presaturation. The resulting slices are then projected into a composite image using a standard maximum intensity projection (MIP) algorithm. The technique is implemented with commercially available hardware and software and yields reproducible high-quality images of the lumbar thecal sac, which show excellent definition of the thecal margins, nerve roots, and nerve root sheaths. This method could replace conventional lumbar myelography and postmyelographic CT studies.