[Inversion recovery RARE: clinical use of a T2-weighted CSF-suppressed rapid sequence]

Inversion-Recovery RARE is a strongly T2-weighted fast sequence in which the CSF appears dark. This sequence was used in more than 100 patients. Retrospective analysis of 80 patients with cerebrovascular and inflammatory disease was carried out. The IR-RARE sequence proved to be particularly suitable for identifying small lesions in the neighbourhood of the subarachnoid space. We illustrate the typical contrast provided by this sequence, and describe its characteristics, exemplifying the advantages it offers for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, cerebral microangiopathy and brain infarction.