Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026. Vol. 71. № 5

DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-5-123-127

D.A. Anokhin, T.R. Bagdasarian, A.V. Perfiliev, S.V. Smerdin, M.A. Plekhanova

THE FIRST EXPERIENCE OF USING T1 FS MRI IN PATIENTS WITH TUBERCULOSIS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF BRAIN PATHOLOGY

M.F. Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute, Moscow, Russia

Contact person: D.A. Anokhin, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic value of the fat-suppressed T1-weighted (T1 FS) MRI sequence in the assessment of brain pathology in patients with tuberculosis, including those with HIV co-infection.

Material and methods: The study included 29 patients aged 21–65 years treated at the Moscow Regional TB Clinical Dispensary. Twenty-two patients (75.7 %) had concurrent HIV/TB infection. All subjects underwent contrast-enhanced brain MRI on a 1.5 T Siemens Magnetom Sempra scanner using a 10-channel Head/Neck coil. The protocol incorporated a 3D fat-suppressed T1-weighted gradient sequence (FL3D, isotropic voxel 1 mm³) in addition to conventional T1 3D TSE post-contrast and delayed acquisitions. Comparative analysis was performed between these sequences to assess lesion conspicuity and contrast enhancement using a three-grade visual scale rated independently by two radiologists.

Results: Focal contrast-enhancing lesions were detected in 24 (82.8 %) patients, corresponding to infectious CNS involvement such as tuberculoma, meningoencephalitis, abscess, PML, toxoplasmosis, and others. The T1 FS 3D sequence demonstrated the highest lesion detectability, revealing 56.9 % of grade 2 and 48.4 % of grade 3 lesions, markedly exceeding conventional T1 3D TSE post-injection (19.0 % and 39.1 %) and delayed (24.1 % and 12.4 %) scans (χ² = 28.98; p < 0.001). T1 FS 3D provided superior delineation of lesion borders and improved visualization of subtle foci, especially in patients with severe immunodeficiency.

Conclusion: Incorporating the fat-suppressed T1 FS 3D sequence into post-contrast brain MRI protocols significantly enhances sensitivity and image quality in the diagnosis of CNS tuberculosis. This technique improves the detection of contrast-enhancing foci and is particularly valuable for evaluating patients with HIV-associated neurotuberculosis and low immune status.

Keywords:  MRI, TS F1, tuberculosis, HIV

For citation: Anokhin DA, Bagdasarian TR, Perfiliev AV, Smerdin SV, Plekhanova MA. The First Experience of Using T1 Fs Mri in Patients with Tuberculosis for the Assessment of Brain Pathology. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2026;71(5):123–127. DOI:10.33266/1024-6177-2026-71-5-123-127

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Conflict of interest.The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Financing. The study had no sponsorship.

Contribution. Article was prepared with equal participation of the authors.

Article received: 20.04.2026. Accepted for publication: 25.05.2026.