Comparative Evaluations of 3D Turbo Spin Echo (TSE) Motion Sensitized Driven Equilibrium (MSDE) and 2D Double Inversion Recovery TSE Sequences for T1-Weighted Black-Blood Carotid Atherosclerosis Imaging

Daisuke Ito¹, Minako Oikawa¹, Hideki Ota², Makoto Obara³, Akira Suwa³, Isao Yanagisawa¹, Shoki Takahashi¹, Hiroaki Shimokawa¹

The purpose of this study is to compare 3D T1W MSDE-VISTA and 2D T1W DIR TSE for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and to determine if 3D MSDE-VISTA is potential replacement for conventional carotid 2D DIR TSE carotid plaque imaging. Compared to 2D DIR TSE, 3D MSDE-VISTA can achieve higher wall/lumen CNR and better blood suppression. 3D MSDE-VISTA has a potential to become alternative black-blood T1W imaging for carotid arteries with the advantage of 3D technique to aid in the evaluation of tortuous carotid arteries and facilitate co-registration of studies repeated over time.