Difference in enhancement between spin echo and 3-dimensional fast spoiled gradient recalled acquisition in steady state magnetic resonance Imaging of brain metastasis at 3-T magnetic resonance imaging

Objective: To compare the enhancement of brain metastasis between 3-dimensional fast spoiled gradient recalled acquisition in the steady state (3DFSPGR) and spin echo (SE) T1-weighted imaging at 3-T magnetic resonance imaging. Methods: The subjects comprised 18 patients with 81 suspected brain metastases. Axial SE and 3DFSPGR images were obtained before and after gadoteridol injection. The signal intensity of each tumor was measured for each sequence; the enhancement and contrast rates were also calculated. Results: For equivalent slice thicknesses, the enhancement and contrast rates of the 3DFSPGR images were lower than those of the SE images (<0.05), whereas for the thin slices, the rates were higher for the 3DFSPGR images (P < 0.01). Conclusions: On 3-T magnetic resonance imaging, the enhancement of 3DFSPGR images was less than that of the SE images under the same conditions, but not to a fatal degree, and thin slice 3DFSPGR imaging is therefore considered to be useful for detecting small lesions, when given a high dose of contrast agent and a suitable scanning delay time.