Metal Artifact Reduction MRI Arthroplasty Implants

What is it about?

Long echo train length (ETL) is an often recommended but unproven technique to decrease metal artifacts on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Therefore, we quantitatively and qualitatively assessed the effects of ETL on metal artifact on MRI scans using a cobalt-chromium–containing arthroplasty implant system.

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Why is it important?

In summary, we demonstrate the negative effects of increasing echo train lengths on total implant-related artifact in a setting of controlled bandwidth, echo spacing, and effective TE. The use of receiver bandwidth in excess of 500 Hz/pixel is a powerful means to achieve meaningful metal artifact reduction, whereas increasing echo train length beyond 7 causes local degradation of image quality around the implant through the introduction of contrast and spatial blurring and resultant larger appearing artifact, rather than a reduction of susceptibility artifacts. For the practical purpose of metal artifact reduction sequence MRI with use of TSE pulse sequences, high receiver bandwidth can be recommended as the first-line means, whereas long echo train length may not be recommended due to substantial degradation of image quality.