Magnetic resonance imaging: spinal cord imaging with the turbo-fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) pulse...

Twelve patients with suspected or proven spinal cord disease were studied with a fluid attenuated repeated echo sequence employing a fast spin-echo data acquisition (Turbo-FLAIR) and the results were compared with those obtained with conventional T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo sequences. The Turbo-FLAIR sequence utilized an unselected 180 degrees pulse to reduce the signal from CSF followed by a spin-echo sequence based on the Rapid Acquisition with Relaxation Enhancement (RARE) pulse sequence for data acquisition. Three and four echo versions were used. Four low signal intensity lesions (cysts or syrinxes) were seen of which three were better seen with the Turbo-FLAIR sequence than with the other sequences. The remaining lesion was equally well seen. Of the seven high signal lesions found, six were better seen with the Turbo-FLAIR sequence and one was equally well seen. The Turbo-FLAIR sequence is more rapid than the T2-weighted spin-echo sequence and compares favourably with the combined results of both the T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo sequences for lesion conspicuity.