[Evaluation of imaging parameters for T1 dynamic contrast enhanced MRI with fast spin-echo]

For the purpose of continual measurement of the T1 value using the FSE (fast spin-echo) sequence and evaluation of the hemodynamics, we assessed T1 values when the imaging parameters were changed. Moreover, with the imaging parameters derived from this study, dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging (MRI) was examined in prostatic disease. First, the T1 value before contrast agent injection was measured with imaging parameters that had different TR and fixed TE. Next, dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging data were acquired for the imaging parameters using TE and TR in the same way as before contrast agent injection, and the T1 value of the tissue at contrast enhancement was measured. In the phantom studies, the TSE imaging parameters with short TE, long TR, and few ETL were connected with the mixed sequence. In dynamic study of the prostate, the difference between normal prostate and prostate cancer became clearer with the time-relaxation rate curve than the time-signal curve. This method using TSE is able to evaluate in greater detail information on hemodynamics and to perform dynamic study with the spin-echo sequence in extensive tissues.