Selective versus nonselective preparation pulses in two‐dimensional MP‐RAGE imaging of the liver

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Abstract
The use of a section‐selective preparation pulse in two‐di‐mensional (2D) T1‐weighted magnetization‐prepared rapid gradient‐echo (MP‐RAGE) imaging of the liver was investigated. The images were compared with those obtained with a nonselective pulse. The performances of the sequences were evaluated in 11 patients with 12 focal liver lesions, and lesion‐liver and lesion‐vessel signal difference‐to‐noise ratios (SD/Ns) were calculated. With the section‐selective preparation pulse, small lesions were better differentiated from vessels, and multiple, consecutive images could be obtained at shorter intervals. The mean lesion‐liver SD/N was slightly but not signiticantly greater for images obtained with a selective pulse, while the lesion‐vessel SD/N was significantly greater (P < .01). It is concluded that a section‐selective preparation pulse can improve the clinical utility of the 2D MP‐RAGE sequence in the evaluation of focal liver disease.