Pertinent DWI features and artifacts when imaging near the skull base

Imaging Parameter/Artifacts	DWI- EPI	DWI- HASTE	DWI- BLADE
Scanning timea	0:40–3:40	4:00	4:09–5:20
Resolution/contrast	Low	Moderateb	High
T2 blurringb	No effect	↑	↓
Motion sensitivity	↓	↓	↓
Off-resonance effects	↑	↓	↓
Susceptibility effects	↑	↓	↓
Ghosting	↑	↓	↓
Geometric distortion	↑	↓	↓

^aRepresents a (minutes/seconds) range found in the literature for this application as well as actual scanning times for protocols used in our practice. No effort was made to normalize protocol parameters across investigators.

^bHASTE image quality near the skull base is frequently degraded by T2 blurring. This impact can vary depending on T2 in the region and imaging parameters used.