Prostatic MR imaging performed with the three-point Dixon technique. Work in progress

Radiology. 1991 Apr;179(1):43-7. doi: 10.1148/radiology.179.1.2006302.

Abstract

The three-point Dixon technique is an enhancement of the original Dixon method for the creation of water- and fat-proton magnetic resonance (MR) images. With the three-point Dixon technique, three measurements of phase shift at 0, pi, and -pi between the fat and water resonances are employed. Compensation for B0 inhomogeneity leads to an error-free decomposition into water- and fat-proton images; an accurate B0 map is also created. The lack of chemical shift artifact in the water- and fat-selective MR images permits the application of narrow receive bandwidth for the creation of T2-weighted images with a high signal-to-noise ratio. The technique was applied in vivo with four healthy subjects, seven patients with prostatic carcinoma, and one patient with benign prostatic hypertrophy and compared with conventional T2-weighted imaging. The three-point technique yielded images with improved definition of normal intraprostatic structures and zonal anatomy and, in some cases of prostatic carcinoma, provided better visualization of extraprostatic spread of tumor.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prostate / anatomy & histology
  • Prostate / pathology*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / diagnosis*