LUMBAR DEGENERATIVE DISK DISEASE - PROSPECTIVE COMPARISON OF CONVENTIONAL T2-WEIGHTED SPIN-ECHO IMAGING AND T2-WEIGHTED RAPID ACQUISITION RELAXATION-ENHANCED IMAGING

PURPOSE: To compare conventional T2-weighted spin-echo imaging with a rapid acquisition relaxation enhanced (RARE) technique in the routine evaluation of lumbar degenerative disk disease. METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients referred for evaluation of the lumbar spine for suspected degenerative disk disease were evaluated with sagittal and axial TI-weighted spin-echo, conventional T2-weighted spin-echo, and T2-weighted RARE ''turbo spin-echo'' sequences (4000/93/2 (repetition time/echo time/excitations), 192 X 256, echo train length of 8). Conventional T2-weighted and RARE images were evaluated independently by two neuroradiologists for image quality, presence of artifacts, cerebrospinal fluid signal intensity, extradural interface conspicuity, intradural nerve root conspicuity, soft-tissue detail, and signal intensity of normal and degenerated intervertebral disks. RESULTS: Both readers rated the cerebrospinal fluid signal higher, the extradural interface conspicuity higher, and the nerve root detail greater on the turbo spin-echo than on conventional spin-echo images. Neither reader had a significant difference in ranking ''normal'' or ''degenerated'' disk signal on the two sequences. Both readers rated soft-tissue detail higher for conventional than for turbo spin-echo. CONCLUSION: RARE sequences can replace conventional T2-weighted spin-echo sagittal studies for degenerative lumbar disk disease.