Magnetic Susceptibility Artifacts by Air Space in Lumbar MRI Sagittal Fat Suppression

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the air space formed by the normal anatomical lordosis of the lumbar spine and the table affects magnetic susceptibility artifacts in sagittal MRI images using fat suppression. Thirteen patients complaining of simple low back pain were examined using a 3.0 Tesla MR system and 12-channels dS posterior coil. T2 fat-suppressed sagittal images were examined when the knee was extended and when it was supported by a 50° tilt support. The mean standard deviation of the images when the knee support was used was 131.00 ± 19.31, and it was 220.58 ± 26.86 when the knee was extended. In conclusion, it was confirmed that the air space formed between the table and the anatomical structures due to the curvature of the lumbar spine led to uniform images because of the magnetic susceptibility artifacts.