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Findings of retinitis on gadolinium-enhanced turbo fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images
M M Bahn1, R E Gordon, F J Wippold
1Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Purpose:
This study sought to determine the findings of retinal inflammation on gadolinium-enhanced turbo fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (tFLAIR) images.
Methods:
Five patients with retinal abnormalities (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome complicated by cytomegalovirus retinitis, two patients; lymphoma complicated by Herpes zoster retinitis, one patient; and diabetic retinopathy, two patients) were identified on routine brain magnetic resonance imaging examinations performed with gadolinium-enhanced tFLAIR; five healthy subjects were retrospectively reviewed for comparison. Retinal signal features and thickness were evaluated comparing gadolinium-enhanced tFLAIR with turbo spin-echo T2-weighted and spin-echo T1-weighted images with and without gadolinium.
Results:
Abnormal retinal thickening and hyperintensity were most conspicuous on gadolinium-enhanced tFLAIR images. Unenhanced T1-weighted images failed to demonstrate any abnormalities. In the enhanced tFLAIR and T1-weighted images, retinal thickness greater than 1.2 mm was abnormal. Abnormal retinal contour and signal was most apparent on the tFLAIR images.
Conclusions:
Of the sequences studied, gadolinium-enhanced tFLAIR images were found to be the best in identifying incidental retinitis and diabetic retinopathy discovered on routine brain magnetic resonance imaging examinations.