MR Imaging of the Wrist: Comparison between 1.5- and 3-T MR Imaging—Preliminary Experience

Abstract

Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained from 25 healthy volunteers and 15 consecutive patients with chronic wrist pain or suspected carpal mass, and 1.5- and 3-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the wrist was prospectively performed with comparable sequence parameters and surface coils of the same geometric design. Imaging protocols at both field strengths included a T1-weighted spin-echo sequence, two intermediate-weighted fast SE sequences with different echo times and with and without fat saturation, and a three-dimensional fast field-echo sequence. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between muscle and bone and between bone and cartilage was calculated for both field strengths. The visibility of various anatomic structures, including the triangular fibrocartilage complex, carpal ligaments, nerves, and cartilage, was analyzed with a four-point grading scale. CNRs were significantly higher on 3-T MR images than on 1.5-T MR images (P < .001; analysis of variance) for all sequences. Visibility of the triangular fibrocartilage complex and intercarpal ligaments and cartilage was significantly better on 3-T MR images than on 1.5-T MR images (paired sign test).

Skeletal muscle ultrasound

“…Next to neuromuscular disorders, malignancies, infections and hematomas and ruptures of the musculoskeletal system can also be detected with ultrasound [7,9,10,24]. Currently, ultrasound is widely available and ultrasound techniques have further improved, resulting in display of muscle tissue with resolutions up to 0.1 mm [8], which is higher than the resolution that can be achieved with for example 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which has a resolution up to 0.2 x 0.2 x 1.0 mm [38]. This article provides insight in the use of muscle ultrasound in the display of healthy and diseased muscle.…”

MR imaging of the traumatic triangular fibrocartilaginous complex tear

“…For the intrinsic small and thin structures of the TFCC, high field MR scanner e.g., 3 Tesla MR scanner is ideally used to acquire a high spatial, high contrast imaging data (1,18).…”

Standardized quantitative measurements of wrist cartilage in healthy humans using 3T magnetic resonance imaging

“…It is noteworthy that most of the MRI studies reported so far have been conducted using a conventional magnetic field, i.e., 1.5T but a few studies have clearly indicated that MRI investigations at higher field, e.g., 3T could provide a better signal/noise ratio and a more accurate identification of certain anatomical structures [16][17][18][19] .…”