One‐Minute Multi‐contrast Echo Planar Brain <scp>MRI</scp> in Ischemic Stroke: A Retrospective Observational Study of Diagnostic Performance

Background Fast multi-contrast echo planar MRI (EPIMix) has comparable diagnostic performance to standard for detecting brain pathology but its in acute cerebral infarctions not been determined. Purpose To assess the of EPIMix detection infarctions. Study Type Retrospective observational cohort. Population One hundred and seventy-two consecutive patients with a clinical suspicion non-hyperacute ischemic stroke (January 2018 December 2019). Field Strength Sequence 1.5 T or 3 T. ((echo-planar based: diffusion weighted (DWI), T2*-weighted, T2-weighted, T2- T1-fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images) vs. MRI: echo-planar DWI, T2*-weighted susceptibility weighted, turbo spin-echo T1-FLAIR sequences. Assessment Three neuroradiologists rated on two separate occasions. Incongruent assessments were resolved consensus fourth reader. The ratings included category (acute infarct, normal, other pathology). Congruent diagnoses together served as reference standard. Statistical Tests against was calculated by area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) compared DeLong's test. Sensitivity specificity Inter-rater agreements evaluated Fleiss's kappa. Results Of 172 (61 ± 16 years, 103 men), infarcts present 80/172 (47%), normal findings 60/172 (35%), 32/172 (19%). Across readers, AUCs .94–.95 .95–.99 MRI, overlapping 95% CI (P = .02–.18). agreement 0.90 0.93. sensitivity 88–91% 91–98%, respectively, while 98–100% 98–99%, both CI. Conclusion Multi-contrast showed high marginally lower characterization infarct. Level Evidence Technical Efficacy Stage 2