Diagnostic Performance of T2- weighted sequences in Upper Abdominal Magnetic Resonance Imaging: BLADE Technique or HASTE Technique?

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate T2-weighted BLADE tecnique for evaluating intra-abdominal organs and lesions, especially the gastrointestinal wall and pathologies, and to compare the findings with HASTE.Material and Methods: Sixty patients (mean age: 47.2 years, range 19-88) (32 males, 28 females) referred to our institution for upper abdominal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examinations with various indications between January 2015 and May 2015 were included in our study. All examinations were performed on a 1.5 Tesla MR device and no anti-peristaltic drug was administered. Images were retrospectively and independently evaluated by two radiologists. A qualitative evaluation was performed to assess images regarding the presence of artifacts and diagnostic quality, the anatomical detail of the upper abdominal organs and structures (contour sharpness, contrast of tissue, parenchyma and internal wall structure) and any present pathologies and lesions in the organs (lesion contour sharpness and size, internal structure properties, morphological characteristics). A quantitative evaluation was performed to calculate the contrast-to-muscle ratios (CMR) of the internal organs and lesions. The distribution of the variables was statistically checked by Kolmogorov Smirnov test. Paired-samples t-test was used for quantitative data.Results: BLADE was significantly associated with reduced artifacts (p <0.0001) and increased image quality compared with HASTE. The highest agreement between both observers was that motion artifacts were reduced (Gwet's AC2 = 0.94). In addition, observers agreed that the parenchymal structure of the upper abdominal solid organs and the anatomic details of the stomach wall structure were better with BLADE (Gwet's AC2 = 0.87). In most cases, both observers preferred BLADE (p <0.0001) for evaluating images and lesion morphology. Conclusion:In upper abdominal MRI examination, artifacts, especially movement artifacts, were significantly reduced by BLADE, yielding more valuable data for the evaluation of the gastrointestinal system wall structure and its pathologies, especially considering the organs near to the diaphragm and retroperitoneal organs as well as vascular structures.