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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
Assessing Cortical Cerebral Microinfarcts on High Resolution MR Images
Published on: November 20, 2015
3D MR cisternography to identify distal dural rings: comparison of 3D-CISS and 3D-SPACE sequences
Yoshiyuki Watanabe1, Akari Makidono, Miho Nakamura
1Department of Radiology, Osaka University Postgraduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan. ywata3434@gmail.com
Purpose:
The distal dural ring (DDR) is an anatomical landmark used to distinguish intra- and extradural aneurysms. We investigated identification of the DDR using 2 three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance (MR) cisternography sequences--3D constructive interference in steady state (CISS) and 3D sampling perfection with application optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolutions (SPACE)--at 3.0 tesla.
Methods:
Ten healthy adult volunteers underwent imaging with 3D-CISS, 3D-SPACE, and time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography (TOF-MRA) sequences at 3.0T. We analyzed DDR identification and internal carotid artery (ICA) signal intensity and classified the shape of the carotid cave.
Results:
We identified the DDR using both 3D-SPACE and 3D-CISS, with no significant difference between the sequences. Visualization of the outline of the ICA in the cavernous sinus (CS) was significantly clearer with 3D-SPACE than 3D-CISS. In the CS and petrous portions, signal intensity was lower with 3D-SPACE, and the flow void was poor with 3D-CISS in some subjects.
Conclusion:
We identified the DDR with both 3D-SPACE and 3D-CISS, but the superior contrast of the ICA in the CS using 3D-SPACE suggests the superiority of this sequence for evaluating the DDR.
