Three-Dimensional Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery Imaging Reduces Artifacts in Cerebrospinal Fluid Spaces and Enhances Sensitivity and Specificity for Subarachnoid Hemorrhages

Purpose: Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images (FLAIR) are highly sensitive for subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAH). Yet, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow artifacts on conventional FLAIR result in false positive results. Here, we compared two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) FLAIR-sequences concerning their proneness to these artifacts, and their sensitivity and specificity for SAHs. Materials and Methods: The following four FLAIR sequences were performed: (1) 2D FLAIR at 1.5T, (2) 2D FLAIR, (3) 2D PROPELLER (=periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction) FLAIR, and (4) 3…