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Characterizing the contrast of white matter and grey matter in high-resolution phase difference enhanced imaging of human brain at 3.0 T

  • Magnetic Resonance
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to address the feasibility of characterizing the contrast both between and within grey matter and white matter using the phase difference enhanced (PADRE) technique.

Methods

PADRE imaging was performed in 33 healthy volunteers. Vessel enhancement (VE), tissue enhancement (TE), and PADRE images were reconstructed from source images and were evaluated with regard to differentiation of grey-to-white matter interface, the stria of Gennari, and the two layers, internal sagittal stratum (ISS) and external sagittal stratum (ESS), of optic radiation.

Results

White matter regions showed decreased signal intensity compared to grey matter regions. Discrimination was sharper between white matter and cortical grey matter in TE images than in PADRE images, but was poorly displayed in VE images. The stria of Gennari was observed on all three image sets. Low-signal-intensity bands displayed in VE images representing the optic radiation were delineated as two layers of different signal intensities in TE and PADRE images. Statistically significant differences in phase shifts were found between frontal grey and white matter, as well as between ISS and ESS (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

The PADRE technique is capable of identifying grey-to-white matter interface, the stria of Gennari, and ISS and ESS, with improved contrast in PADRE and TE images compared to VE images.

Key Points

• Phase difference enhanced (PADRE) imaging can yield diverse contrasts between tissues

• The PADRE technique utilizes the inherent variety of magnetic susceptibilities

• PADRE MR imaging provides better visualization of certain cerebral anatomy in vivo

• PADRE imaging is able to delineate the stria of Gennari in the primary visual cortex

• PADRE imaging is able to identify the two optic radiation layers

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Abbreviations

PADRE:

Phase difference enhanced imaging

VE:

Vessel enhancement

TE:

Tissue enhancement

FGM:

Frontal grey matter

FWM:

Frontal white matter

ISS:

Internal sagittal stratum

ESS:

External sagittal stratum

SWI:

Susceptibility-weighted imaging

GRE:

Gradient-recalled echo

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Acknowledgments

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Guangbin Wang. The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.81171380. No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper. Institutional review board approval was obtained. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study. This article has not been published elsewhere in whole or in part. Methodology: prospective, experimental; performed at one institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Shanghai Institute of Medical Imaging, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China

    Li Yang

  2. Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardio-cerebral Vascular Diseases, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, People’s Republic of China

    Li Yang, Shanshan Wang, Bin Yao, Lili Li, Lingfei Guo, Xinjuan Zhang & Guangbin Wang

  3. Laboratory of Experimental Tumor Immunology, Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus Medical Center Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Xiaofei Xu

  4. Department of Radiology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, People’s Republic of China

    Lianxin Zhao

  5. Philips Healthcare, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

    Weibo Chen & Queenie Chan

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  1. Li Yang
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  2. Shanshan Wang
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  11. Guangbin Wang
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Correspondence to Guangbin Wang.

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Yang, L., Wang, S., Yao, B. et al. Characterizing the contrast of white matter and grey matter in high-resolution phase difference enhanced imaging of human brain at 3.0 T. Eur Radiol 25, 1068–1076 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3480-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3480-7

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