Improvement of image quality using BLADE sequences in brain MR imaging

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Imaging Science
• Medical Physics
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is crucial for diagnosing neurological conditions.
• Patient cooperation significantly impacts image quality due to motion artifacts.
• Advanced k-space trajectories like BLADE can potentially mitigate motion and improve image fidelity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of conventional Cartesian and BLADE k-space trajectories for T2-weighted (T2-W) fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and T2-TSE sequences.
• To evaluate image quality, artifact reduction, and diagnostic utility in both uncooperative and cooperative patient groups.
• To determine optimal sequence selection for different patient populations and clinical indications in brain MR examinations.

Main Methods:

• Comparative study involving 23 uncooperative and 44 cooperative patients undergoing routine brain MR imaging.
• Acquisition of T2-W FLAIR and T2-TSE sequences using both conventional Cartesian and BLADE k-space trajectories.
• Qualitative assessment by experienced radiologists and quantitative analysis of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and relative contrast (ReCon).

Main Results:

• BLADE sequences demonstrated statistically significant superiority over conventional sequences in uncooperative patients for all comparisons.
• In cooperative patients, BLADE sequences showed significant improvements in CNR and ReCon values in nine cases.
• BLADE sequences effectively eliminated motion, Gibbs, susceptibility, and pulsatile flow artifacts, particularly T2 FLAIR BLADE.

Conclusions:

• BLADE sequences (T2-TSE and T2 FLAIR) are highly recommended for brain MR examinations of uncooperative patients due to superior image quality and artifact suppression.
• T2-TSE BLADE sequences are suitable for routine protocols and orbital examinations in cooperative patients.
• T2 FLAIR BLADE sequences offer optional utility for specific indications in cooperative patients, including AVMs, orbits, and lesions near artifacts.