To investigate the cause and the pattern of the postsurgical MRI(magnetic resonance image) artifacts, we performed MRI of 0.35T field after variable surgical procedures, with variable suture materials on the skin of pork(5 times) and the skin of
rabbit(5 times) with variable pulse sequences(such as T1 weighted, proton density, T2 weighted and gradient echo images) and analysed the effect of variable procedures and pulse sequences.
The results of the effect of variable suture materials except surgical wire were not perceptible on MRI and the effect sutures, incision and incision with multiple clipping with kelly were linear or band like signal loss along tract of needle
passage,
site of incision and site of clipping which suggest susceptibility artifacts, and the effects of surgical wire were signal loss of moderate to large extent or geometrical distortion at wiring area which suggest ferromagnetic artifacts. These
findings
were prominent at gradient echos than spin echo pulse sequences.
We conclude that the cause and the pattern of artifacts of the surgical sutures were susceptibility and ferromagnetic artifacts, and these artifacts were not disturb on image interpretation except surgical wiring, especially on the gradient echo
pulse
sequences.
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