MR imaging of the carpal tunnel with a specific high-resolution coil

This paper assesses the contribution of a specific MR imaging high-resolution module in evaluating the normal and pathologic carpal tunnel. Twelve normal volunteers and 12 patients with postoperative failure of carpal tunnel syndrome were imaged. A pixel size of 0.22 mm2 was achieved by adding a specific imaging module in a whole-body system at 1.5 T. T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo and three-dimensional gradient-echo sequences (which allowed 1-mm-thick sections) were performed. We used gadolinium for postoperative studies. The following measurements were performed in all cases at three levels (radius, pisiform, hamate): cross-sectional area of the carpal tunnel, median nerve and flexor tendons, and median nerve T2 measurements. The size ratio of the cumulative surface of the median nerve and tendons to that of the carpal tunnel showed a significant difference in 10 cases