Application of 3D MERGE sequence in MRI of lumbosacral plexus

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of the three-dimensional multiple echo recalled gradient-echo (3D MERGE) sequence in MR imaging of lumbosacral plexus. Methods: 31 patients with lumbosacral vertebral lesions underwent MRI including 3D MERGE and STIR sequences. The source images were post-processed by using maximum intensity projection (MIP) on the workstation. The image quality of lumbosacral plexus, the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) of both sequences were compared. Results: 3D MERGE was significantly superior to STIR sequence for visualizing the lumbosacral plexus anatomy with higher SNR and CNR (P < 0.05). The scan time of 3D MERGE was shorter than that of STIR sequence. Conclusion: 3D MERGE sequence can clearly display the lumbosacral plexus and is clinically useful. (authors)