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Updated: Jun 9, 2025
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Published on: February 19, 2021
Comparison of Syn T2-FLAIR and Syn DIR with conventional T2-FLAIR in displaying white matter hyperintensities in
Zhen-Zhen Liu1, Hai-Yang Yu2, Yuan-Hui Li1
1Department of Radiology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 600 Tianhe Road, Guangzhou, 510630, People's Republic of China.
Objective:
Young migraine patients often present with white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aimed to analyze whether synthetic (Syn) T2-FLAIR and Syn double inversion recovery (DIR) can reveal WMHs more clearly and sensitively than conventional T2-FLAIR.
Materials And Methods:
Conventional MRI and Syn MRI data from 50 young migraine patients were analyzed prospectively. WMHs in each anatomical region (periventricular, deep white matter, and juxtacortical) were recorded separately. The differences in the clarity of lesion boundaries and the number of lesions displayed in the three sequences in the same anatomical region were analyzed.
Results:
A total of 80 (periventricular area, 15; deep white matter, 31; juxtacortical area, 34), 163 (17, 50, 96), and 134 (18, 42, 74) lesions were observed with conventional T2-FLAIR, Syn T2-FLAIR, and Syn DIR, respectively. Syn T2-FLAIR and Syn DIR can show lesions more clearly than conventional T2-FLAIR (all P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the number of lesions observed in the periventricular white matter among the three sequences (P = 0.159, 0.083, 0.322). Syn T2-FLAIR and Syn DIR can detect more lesions in the deep white matter than conventional T2-FLAIR (P < 0.001, P = 0.006). Syn T2-FLAIR revealed more lesions in the juxtacortical white matter than Syn DIR and conventional T2-FLAIR imaging (all P < 0.001), and conventional T2-FLAIR revealed the fewest lesions (P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Syn T2-FLAIR and Syn DIR sequences can clearly and sensitively detect WMHs, especially in deep and juxtacortical white matter areas.
