Gradient-echo MR imaging of the lumbar spine: comparison with spin-echo technique

Gradient-echo (GRE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been advocated as the imaging modality of choice for evaluating radiculopathy in the cervical spine. Axial GRE images of the lumbar spine in 50 patients were compared with similar images obtained using spin-echo (SE) technique on a 1.5 T MR system. The SE images were superior to GRE images in the evaluation of the neural foramina, epidural fat, and disk herniation. The GRE images obtained were inadequate for lumbar spine imaging due to an unacceptable level of chemical shift artifacts. The GRE technique does provide the advantages of rapid acquisition of T2* images and decreased motion artifact. Axial GRE images may play an increasingly important role in lumbar spine imaging with continued changes in software and improvements in technology.