Susceptibility artifact morphology is more conspicuous on susceptibility-weighted imaging compared to T2* gradient echo sequences in the brains of dogs and cats with suspected intracranial disease

Claudia La Rosa, Pamela Di Donato, Swan Specchi, Marco Bernardini

Background: The study focuses on the comparison of two MRI techniques, susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) and T2*-weighted gradient echo (GE), for detecting areas of signal void (ASV) in the brains of dogs and cats with different neurological diseases. ASV are caused by substances that have magnetic properties, such as blood or metal.

Study: The authors aimed to determine the effectiveness of SWI and T2*-weighted GE in identifying ASV, and to distinguish between ASV that were vessels or hemorrhages.

Methods: The authors compared the sensitivity and accuracy of SWI and T2*-weighted GE in detecting ASV in the brains of dogs and cats with various neurological diseases.

Results: The study found that SWI was more sensitive and accurate than T2*-weighted GE for identifying ASV, especially those that were small, isolated, or had a tubular shape. Furthermore, SWI helped to distinguish between ASV that were vessels or hemorrhages, which could have implications for the diagnosis and grading of brain tumors.

Limitations: The authors acknowledged some limitations of their study, such as the lack of histopathological confirmation, the subjective grading of ASV, the absence of SWI phase imaging, and the possible influence of MRI parameters on the detection of ASV.

Conclusions: The study concluded that SWI is a more effective technique for detecting ASV in the brains of dogs and cats with neurological diseases. However, further studies are needed to validate these findings and to explore the clinical relevance of SWI in veterinary patients.

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