Detection of intracranial hemorrhage: comparison between gradient-echo images and b0 images obtained from diffusion-weighted echo-planar sequences on 3.0T MRI.

In this study, we compared the effectiveness of b0 echo-planar MR images (EPI) imaging with gradient recalled echo (GRE) in detecting acute hemorrhage. Brain images in 69 patients who suffered from acute infarction were reviewed. Nine of them had suffered from acute hemorrhage. Comparing b0EPI and GRE images side-by-side, we found no significant different effectiveness in detecting hemorrhage (P = .522, > or =.05). We concluded that b0EPI imaging could detect hemorrhagic lesions as effectively as GRE can without additional acquisition time.