Knee magnetic resonance imaging: Comparative study between spin echo sequence and conventional thick-slice imaging

The development of new MRI technologies has favoured the use of sequences that significantly improve the spatial resolution of this imaging method, thus yielding thin-section images that allow volumetric analysis. We present our experience at Clínica Vespucio, Santiago, Chile, related to a routine knee MRI protocol performed on 45 patients who underwent conventional proton density-weighted fat-saturated sequence (PDwFS) 3-mm section thickness along with proton density-weighted fat-saturated sequence with thin-section (1.2 mm). In most cases, the thin-section PDwFS allows a better anatomical characterization of lesions, particularly meniscal and condral injuries, with minimal increase in image acquisition time.