Clinical value of 3D T2*-weighted imaging with multi-echo acquisition: Comparison with conventional 2D T2*-weighted imaging and 3D phase-sensitive MR imaging

Abstract

Susceptibility-weighted angiography (SWAN) is a state-of-the-art 3-dimensional (3D) T2*-weighted imaging (T2*;WI) technique with multiple echo acquisitions, but its clinical utility remains to be determined. We compared the utility of susceptibility-weighting sequences among SWAN, 3D phase-sensitive magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (PSI), and conventional 2-dimensional (2D) T2*;WI in routine clinical practice. Our results indicate that SWAN can achieve susceptibility weighting more effectively than conventional 2D T2*;WI and as effectively as PSI and requires a much shorter scan time than PSI.