CSF suppression in MRI is performed with which type of technique?

The correct technique for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) suppression in MRI is FLAIR, which stands for Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery. FLAIR is specifically designed to null the signal from free fluid, such as CSF, making it particularly useful in neuroimaging. This technique employs an inversion recovery approach that effectively suppresses the CSF signal while allowing visualization of lesions in the brain that may be adjacent to or surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid. As a result, it enhances the contrast between brain tissue and pathologies like plaques and other abnormalities that might otherwise be obscured by the bright signal of CSF.

In contrast, while STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery) can suppress fat signals, it is not specifically tailored for CSF suppression. SPGR (Spoiled Gradient Echo) and FISP (Fast Imaging with Steady-State Precession) are techniques focused on providing high-resolution images and do not primarily aim to suppress CSF. Therefore, FLAIR stands out as the dedicated method for achieving effective CSF suppression in MRI studies.