[Superparamagnetic iron oxide particles: what value has the T1 effect in the MR diagnosis of focal liver lesions?].

Purpose: To evaluate the T1 effect of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) in MR imaging of focal hepatic lesions.

Methods: 21 patients with 34 liver lesions (18 benign) were examined before and immediately after infusion of SPIO particles (Endorem) with a T1-weighted GRE- and SE sequence and a double echo SE sequence at 1.5T.

[Flow contrast behavior in fast MR angiography with an ECG-triggered, slice-selective inversion recovery turbo-FLASH technique].

Purpose: To optimise and evaluate fast "inflow"-based contrast-prepared gradient-echo magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of blood vessels with pulsatile flow.

Material And Method: We used a standard 2-D Turbo-FLASH sequence with an acquisition time of 0.9 s and a slice-selective hyperbolic secant inversion (SSIR) pulse for contrast preparation.

[Detectability of focal liver lesions: comparison of MRI at 1.5 T and dynamic spiral CT].

Purpose: To compare dynamic spiral CT with MR imaging in the detectability of focal liver lesions.

Material And Methods: Thirty-one patients with 62 focal liver lesions (27 benign) were evaluated retrospectively. Dynamic spiral CT scans were compared with T1- and T2- weighted spin-echo (SE) sequences and in part with multi slice 2-D-FLASH and single-shot slice-selective inversion recovery Turbo-FLASH sequences at 1.