Comparison of BLADE and conventional T2-TSE sequences for the sagittal visualization of the cervical spinal cord in multiple sclerosis patients - A case report

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to report the significant differences found in the identification of lesions in cervical spinal cord of two patients with multiple sclerosis when using the BLADE T2-TSE and BLADE T2-TIRM sequences as opposed to the conventional T2-TSE and T2-TIRM sequences for sagittal acquisition at 1.5 T. In both patients, one more lesion was identified with the BLADE sequences than with the conventional ones. Consequently, we suggest the use of BLADE T2-TSE and BLADE T2-TIRM sequences in place of conventional ones for sagittal examination of the cervical spinal cord of multiple sclerosis patients. The advantages of TIRM to reveal the pathology of the cervical spinal cord and the advantage of BLADE sequences to improve image quality should be combined in a sequence that could be ideal for cervical spinal cord examinations. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.