High Resolution Imaging of the Membranous Labyrinth: A Comparison of 3D CISS and 3D SPACE at 1.5T

Bradley D. Bolster, Jr. ¹, John I. Lane², Kevin J. Johnson¹, Sarah D. Inglett², Matthew A. Bernstein², Jonathan M. Morris², Robert J. Witte²

3D CISS and 3D SPACE are routinely applied in the clinical evaluation of the IAC. Recent advances in MR imaging, however, permit these techniques to be used at very high resolutions, sufficient to visualize some of the more prominent structures of the membranous labyrinth. In this study we directly compare the CISS and SPACE sequences using high resolution isotropic acquisitions of the membranous labyrinths across 15 normal volunteers. General image quality, CNR and the conspicuity of several labyrinthine substructures are examined. The impact of susceptibility and motion on the two techniques is also discussed.