T2 relaxometry of ring lesions of the brain

Jayakumar, P.N.; Srikanth, S.G.; Chandrashekar, H.S.; Subbakrishna, D.K.

doi:10.1016/j.crad.2006.09.017

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Volume 62, Issue 4 , Pages 370-375, April 2007

T2 relaxometry of ring lesions of the brain

P.N. Jayakumar
- Department of Neuroimaging and Interventional Radiology, National Institute of Mental Health and NeuroSciences, Bangalore, India
- Guarantor and correspondent: P.N. Jayakumar, Department of Neuroimaging and Interventional Radiology, National Institute of Mental Health & NeuroSciences, Bangalore-560 029, India. Tel.: +91 80 6995424; fax: +91 80 6644920.
S.G. Srikanth
- Department of Neuroimaging and Interventional Radiology, National Institute of Mental Health and NeuroSciences, Bangalore, India
H.S. Chandrashekar
- Department of Neuroimaging and Interventional Radiology, National Institute of Mental Health and NeuroSciences, Bangalore, India
D.K. Subbakrishna
- Department of Biostatistics, National Institute of Mental Health and NeuroSciences, Bangalore, India

Received 24 February 2005; received in revised form 20 August 2006; accepted 29 September 2006.

Aim

To differentiate two common aetiologies of “ring lesions,” tuberculomas and cysticercal cysts, using T2 relaxometry.

Materials and methods

Fifty-five ring-enhancing lesions of the brain (32 cysticercal cysts; 23 tuberculomas) in 27 patients with focal seizures were studied for T2 relaxation times.

Results

The mean T2 relaxation times of cysticercal cysts was 617ms (range 305–1365ms; SD 272.2) and that of tuberculomas 161ms (range 83–290ms; SD 60.3; 95% confidence).

Conclusion

T2 relaxometry is a simple, reliable and valuable non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to differentiate between intracranial cysticercal cysts and tuberculomas, and may be incorporated in routine diagnostic protocols.