TABLE 1:
Scan Parameters for Conventional Knee MRI and the qDESS Protocol
| Sequence | 2D |
3D Sagittal qDESS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axial Proton Density Fat-Saturated | Coronal T1-Weighted | Sagittal T2-Weighted Fat-Saturated | Sagittal Proton Density | Coronal Proton Density Fat-Saturated | ||
| TR/TE | 4000/35 | 600/18 | 5441/54 | 4000/35 | 4000/35 | 18.6/5.9 |
| Flip angle (°) | 142 | 142 | 142 | 142 | 142 | 20 |
| Echo-train length | 9 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| No. of signals acquired | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Bandwidth (± kHz) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 41.7 |
| FOV (mm) | 140 × 140 | 140 × 140 | 140 × 140 | 140 × 140 | 140 × 140 | 160 × 160 |
| Acquisition matrix | 512 × 224 | 416 × 224 | 384 × 192 | 384 × 224 | 384 × 224 | 416 × 512 |
| Resolution (mm2) | 0.27 × 0.63 | 0.34 × 0.63 | 0.36 × 0.72 | 0.36 × 0.63 | 0.36 × 0.63 | 0.34 × 0.27 |
| Slice thickness (mm) | 3 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.6 |
| Slice gap (mm) | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. of slices | 36 | 44 | 40 | 40 | 44 | 80 |
| Parallel imaging | 2 × 1 | NA | 2 × 1 | NA | 2 × 1 | 2 × 1 |
| Scan time (min:s) | 2:56 | 2:18 | 3:43 | 3:28 | 2:00 | 5:00 |
Note—qDESS = quantitative double-echo steady-state, NA = not applicable.