Radiology, Vol 182, 175-179, Copyright © 1992 by Radiological Society of North America
Techniques for high-resolution echo-planar MR imaging of the pancreas
P Reimer, S Saini, PF Hahn, PR Mueller, TJ Brady and MS Cohen
MGH-NMR Center, Boston.
Recent technical advances in echo-planar magnetic resonance (MR) imaging
prompted an investigation of these new techniques in pancreatic MR imaging
and evaluation of bowel lumen enhancement with an aqueous bowel contrast
agent. In 42 subjects (36 healthy, six with pancreatic disease), various
T1-weighted inversion-recovery and T2-weighted spin- echo fat-suppressed
pulse sequences were assessed with an echo-planar technique implemented
with a modified clinical MR imager. Single- excitation imaging (echo time,
26 msec) provided a higher (P less than .05) signal-to-noise ratio than did
conventional spin-echo and all other echo-planar techniques. In 13 (72%) of
18 healthy subjects who did not undergo administration of the contrast
agent, the entire pancreas was distinguished from adjoining bowel. In all
18 subjects who underwent contrast-enhanced imaging, a significantly
greater (P less than .05) intraluminal signal intensity was apparent with
all echo- planar pulse sequences and the entire pancreas was identified. In
six patients with pancreatic disease, lesions could be identified by their
difference in signal intensity.
