Anomalies of pulmonary veins: usefulness of spin-echo and gradient-echo MR images.

Objective: We compared the value of spin-echo and gradient-echo MR images in the evaluation of anomalies of pulmonary veins.
Materials and Methods: Fourteen patients with a variety of developmental anomalies of pulmonary veins underwent MR imaging examination. Axial T1-weighted spin-echo and gradient-echo MR images were evaluated retrospectively on separate occasions during which visualization of normal and anomalous pulmonary veins was determined.
Results: Of 52 pulmonary veins, 46 (88%) were identified on T1-weighted spin-echo images and 50 (96%) on gradient-echo images. Two patients had atresia of both left pulmonary veins. Of 14 anomalous veins, 11 (79%) were revealed on spin-echo images and 13 (93%) on gradient-echo images.
Conclusion: Both spin-echo and gradient-echo MR images were accurate in revealing anomalies of pulmonary veins. In our study, gradient-echo images were equal or superior to spin-echo images.