Orbital and ocular imaging using 3- and 1.5-T MR imaging systems.

The goal of this article is to familiarize general radiologists and clinicians (particularly ophthalmologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons) with the recent introduction of clinical MR imaging scanners operating at a magnetic field strength of 3-T and to compare them with the more common standard scanners operating at 1.5-T. In this study, MR imaging at 3-T was found to offer superior depiction of orbital and intracranial anatomy and pathologic findings. Spin echo, high spatial resolution, T2-weighted, thin-section MR imaging sequences are especially useful and sensitive at 3-T for the evaluation of orbital, ocular, and intracranial anatomy and pathologic findings. The authors din that time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography at 3-T surpasses the best MR angiography at 1.5-T and that two-dimensional TOF venography and three-dimensional contrast MR venography at 3-T offer superior visualization of intracranial and facial veins as compared with MR venography at 1.5-T. We believe that with further quality image production and efficient coil design, 3-T MR imaging should hold the promise of playing an important role in the diagnostic imaging evaluation of ocular, orbital, and optic pathway pathologic findings.