T1-weighted liver imaging with respiratory triggering using 3D-FT fast gradient echo sequence. Comparison with breath-hold gradient echo and conventional spin echo sequences

T1-weighted liver imaging using respiratory-triggered 3-dimensional Fourier transformation (3D-FT) fast gradient echo sequence at 1.5 T was compared with breath-hold gradient echo (GRE) and conventional spin echo (SE) sequences in 25 patients with focal liver lesions and 5 normal volunteers. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the liver, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the liver to spleen, and CNR of the lesion to liver were significantly higher with respiratory-triggered fast GRE than with breath-hold GRE and conventional SE. The degree of artifacts including respiratory motion and pulsation artifact was less severe on the respiratory-triggered fast GRE sequence. With this sequence, hepatic vascular anatomy was clearly visualized. We believe this new T1-weighted imaging technique can replace previous T1-weighted imaging sequences. (author)