Comparison of a Fast 5-Minute Shoulder MRI Protocol With a Standard Shoulder MRI Protocol: A Multiinstitutional...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Orthopedic Diagnostics

Background:

• Standard shoulder MRI protocols can be time-consuming.
• Optimizing MRI scan times is crucial for patient throughput and comfort.
• Advancements in imaging sequences and hardware offer potential for faster examinations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic performance of a novel 5-minute shoulder MRI protocol with a standard protocol.
• To evaluate the interchangeability and accuracy of a fast MRI technique for shoulder imaging.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 201 shoulder MRI examinations (151 at 3-T, 50 at 1.5-T).
• Comparison of a 5-minute fast spin-echo (FSE) MRI protocol with parallel imaging against a standard MRI protocol.
• Assessment of interreader agreement using kappa statistics and comparison of major findings frequency.

Main Results:

• Interprotocol reader agreement for the fast MRI protocol was comparable to the standard protocol (mean difference ≤ 1%).
• Kappa values for the fast MRI were similar to those for the standard MRI (0.373-0.645 vs. 0.320-0.726).
• Sensitivities for tendon and labral tears were equivalent or higher with the fast MRI (33-92%) compared to standard MRI, with similar specificities (77-98%).

Conclusions:

• The 5-minute shoulder MRI protocol using multiplanar 2D FSE sequences with parallel imaging is interchangeable with standard MRI.
• This fast protocol demonstrates similar interreader agreement and diagnostic accuracy for evaluating shoulder injuries.
• Fast MRI offers a viable alternative for efficient and effective shoulder assessment.