Technical NoteInfluence of inversion time on endolymphatic hydrops evaluation in 3D-FLAIR imaging

The MRI evaluation of endolymphatic hydrops currently relies on inversion recovery sequences. Signal intensity of such sequences depends on the Inversion Time (TI) parameter. Here, we assessed endolymphatic compartment variation with two 3D-FLAIR sequences, closely similar except for the TI (2300 and 2400 ms), in healthy volunteers and patients. We found that the semi-quantitative method of grading was highly dependent on the TI, contrasting with the recently proposed saccular-based grading of endolymphatic hydrops.