Comparison Between T2, STIR and PSIR Sequences, for Detection of Cervical Cord MS Plaques

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease, involving almost 2.5 million people around the world. There are different MR pulse sequences, which are used to detect MS plaques. Objectives: This study aimed to compare, T2 weighted, short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) and phase-sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) pulse sequences, for detecting cervical spinal cord lesions in MS patients. Patients and Methods: Sixty patients with definite MS diagnoses, participated in this study from June to December 2016. 1.5 T Siemens (Avanto, Erlangen, Germany) MR scanner and three pulse sequences (T2 weighted, STIR and PSIR sequences) were used for cervical cordMRimaging. To assess the effectiveness of these pulse sequences, the lesion to cord ratio (LCR) and lesion to noise ratio (LNR) were calculated. Results: The LCR and LNR of the T2 and PSIR were the same (LCR of 0.04, -0.03 and LNR of 2.74, -2.09 respectively), just the intensities were reverse. STIR had a significantly different LCR and LNR [0.23 (P < 0.001) and 22.7(P < 0.001) respectively], hence it was better in diagnosing cervical cord MS plaques. Conclusion: According to the results, using 1.5 T MRI machine, it implies that the STIR pulse sequence was the best pulse sequence in comparison to T2 and PSIR in detecting cervical cord MS plaques.