mrimaster

MRI Thoracic Spine

Indications for MRI Thoracic Spine

Contraindications

Patient preparation for MRI Thoracic Spine

Positioning for MRI Thoracic Spine

MRI thoracic spine positioning photo

Recommended MRI Thoracic Spine Protocols and Planning

MRI Thoracic Spine localiser

A three-plane localizer must be taken at the beginning to localize and plan the sequences. Localizers are typically less than 25 seconds and consist of T1-weighted low-resolution scans.

T2 tse sagittal

Plan the sagittal slices on the coronal plane and angle the positioning block parallel to the spinal cord. Check the positioning block in the other two planes. An appropriate angle must be given in the axial plane, parallel to the line along the center of the vertebral body and the spinous process. Check the positioning block in the sagittal plane; the field of view (FOV) must be large enough to cover the entire thoracic and cervical spine from C1 down to T12 (normally 470 mm). The slices should be sufficient to cover the spine from the lateral border of the right (RT) transverse process up to the lateral border of the left (LT) transverse process. Place a saturation band over the chest in the sagittal plane, as shown in the diagram. This is done to avoid breathing artifacts over the spinal area. The phase direction should be head to feet to minimize further motion artifacts from the chest.

mri t spine planning of sagittal

Parameters

TR

3000-4000

TE

100-120

SLICE

4MM

FLIP

130-150

PHASE

H>F

MATRIX

512X512

FOV

480-490

GAP

10%

NEX(AVRAGE)

2

T1 tse sagittal

Plan the sagittal slices on the coronal plane and angle the positioning block parallel to the spinal cord. Check the positioning block in the other two planes. An appropriate angle must be given in the axial plane, parallel to the line along the center of the vertebral body and the spinous process. Check the positioning block in the sagittal plane; the field of view (FOV) must be large enough to cover the entire thoracic and cervical spine from C1 down to T12 (normally 470 mm). The slices should be sufficient to cover the spine from the lateral border of the right (RT) transverse process up to the lateral border of the left (LT) transverse process. Place a saturation band over the chest in the sagittal plane, as shown in the diagram. This is done to avoid breathing artifacts over the spinal area. The phase direction should be head to feet to minimize further motion artifacts from the chest.

mri t spine planning of sagittal

Parameters

TR

400-600

TE

15-25

SLICE

4 MM

FLIP

90

PHASE

H>F

MATRIX

512X512

FOV

480-490

GAP

10%

NEX(AVRAGE)

2

T2 TSE STIR sagittal

Plan the sagittal slices on the coronal plane and angle the positioning block parallel to the spinal cord. Check the positioning block in the other two planes. An appropriate angle must be given in the axial plane, parallel to the line along the center of the vertebral body and the spinous process. Check the positioning block in the sagittal plane; the field of view (FOV) must be large enough to cover the entire thoracic and cervical spine from C1 down to T12 (normally 470 mm). The slices should be sufficient to cover the spine from the lateral border of the right (RT) transverse process up to the lateral border of the left (LT) transverse process. Place a saturation band over the chest in the sagittal plane, as shown in the diagram. This is done to avoid breathing artifacts over the spinal area. The phase direction should be head to feet to minimize further motion artifacts from the chest.

mri t spine planning of sagittal

Parameters

TR

4000-5000

TE

110

FLIP

130

NEX

2

SLICE

4MM

MATRIX

512X384

FOV

480-490

PHASE

H>F

GAP

10%

TI

130

T2 TSE Axial block 4mm

Plan the axial slices on the sagittal plane and angle the positioning block perpendicular to the spinal cord. An appropriate angle must be given in the coronal plane (parallel to the intervertebral disc space). Ensure that the slices are sufficient to cover the entire thoracic spine from T1 to T12. Place a saturation band over the chest in the sagittal plane, as depicted in the diagram. This is to prevent breathing artifacts over the spinal area.

Note: If the pathology is localized to a specific part of the thoracic spine, perform axial imaging over the affected area (e.g., bulging disc, cord compressions, or spinal cord tumors)

mri t spine planning of axial

Parameters

TR

3000-4000

TE

100-120

SLICE

4 MM

FLIP

130-150

PHASE

A>P

MATRIX

256X256

FOV

200-250

GAP

10%

NEX(AVRAGE)

2

T1 TSE Axial block 4mm

Plan the axial slices on the sagittal plane and angle the positioning block perpendicular to the spinal cord. An appropriate angle must be given in the coronal plane (parallel to the intervertebral disc space). Ensure that the slices are sufficient to cover the entire thoracic spine from T1 to T12. Place a saturation band over the chest in the sagittal plane, as depicted in the diagram. This is to prevent breathing artifacts over the spinal area.

mri t spine planning of axial

Parameters

TR

400-600

TE

15-25

SLICE

4 MM

FLIP

90

PHASE

A>P

MATRIX

256X256

FOV

200-250

GAP

10%

NEX(AVRAGE)

2

Indications for contrast enhancement spine scans

For post-contrast spine imaging, use T1 TSE fat saturated sagittal and axial sequences after the administration of IV gadolinium DTPA injection (copy the planning outlined above). The document below provides access to the recommended dosage of gadolinium DTPA injection, as advised by the manufacturer.