Evaluation of schwannoma using the 3D-SPACE sequence: comparison with the 3D-CISS sequence in 3T-MRI.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy and interobserver reliability of the T2-weighted 3D-SPACE (three-dimensional sampling perfection with application-optimized contrasts by using different flip angle evolutions) sequence in comparison with T2-weighted 3D-CISS (three-dimensional constructive interference in steady-state) sequences for diagnosis of schwannomas. METHODS AND MATERIALS Forty patients with CPA, IAC, and cochlear schwannoma who had undergone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the 3D-CISS and 3D-SPACE sequences were identified. The sequences were retrospectively evaluated by two radiologists for the qualitative analyses, which was subsequently compared using the Mann?Whitney U test. Following this, kappa values were used for interobserver agreement. P 0.8). The 3D-SPACE sequences demonstrated significantly better qualitative scores and fewer artifacts compared with the 3D-CISS sequences (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate that 3D-SPACE is superior to 3D-CISS in the imaging process of the schwannoma in terms of image quality, description of the relationship between the lesion and cranial nerve, signal differentiation between lesion and cistern, and signal differentiation between the lesion and adjacent brain.