The Usefulness of the HASTE Sequence in the Diagnosis of Spinal Diseases in Dogs and Cats

Single-shot turbo spin-echo sequences are dense T2-weighted sequences that are well suited for evaluating the subarachnoid space. In T2-weighted fast spin-echo sequences routinely used in spinal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, the subarachnoid space is poorly distinguished from the surrounding epidural fat, which may lead to the under detection of neurological disorders. We aimed to determine the utility of the Half-ourier single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) sequence in the diagnosis of neurological disorders in dogs and cats and the agreement between the HASTE sequence and T2 sequences. The study included 17 patients (cats and dogs) with suspected neurological disorders and an indication for magnetic resonance imaging. One observer was initially asked to interpret T2-weighted images only and then T2-weighted and HASTE sequences together. The MR images were anonymized and no signal, history, or clinical information was provided. Without the HASTE sequence, the observer recognized 71% of the neurological disorders. With the addition of the HASTE sequence, the observer recognized 100% of the neurological disorders. After the addition of the HASTE sequence, the observer was able to make a more accurate diagnosis with a difference of 29%. In addition, according to the results obtained, a moderate to good diagnostic agreement was found between T2-weighted and T2-weighted + HASTE sequences. Without the HASTE sequence, the observer was able to localize 89% of the lesions. With the addition of the HASTE sequence, the observer was able to localize 100% of the lesions, the difference of 11% was not statistically significant (P=0.15). In conclusion, our study has shown that the acquisition of single-shot fast spin-echo sequences in addition to standard T2-weighted fast spin-echo sequences provides more accurate detection of neurological disorders and provides advantages in terms of localization of neurological disorders.