Purpose: Our aim is to evaluate the diagnostic value of fast-Flair, compared with DP and T2 weighted conventional SE and TSE , in intracranial tumours

Methods: 30 patients with surgically or clinically diagnosed intracranial neoplasms, were studied with MR imaging including a fast-flair sequence. Fast-Flair sequences were compared with conventional TSE DP and T2 weighted sequences, evaluating; differentiation between lesion and edema, delineation of the interface between tmour and cerebro-spina liquor, indentification of intralesional necrotic or cystic areas.

Results: The Flair sequences permitted to better differentiate the lesions from edema in 6 cases. The Flair was superior to DP and T2 weighted sequences in the delineation of the interface lesion/CSF in 7 cases.

In 5 cases Flair showed an improvement in the recognition of cystic and necrotic intralesional areas.

In all the 3 cases of recurrent meningiomas, the post surgical malacic area was always well differentiated from recurrent neoplastic tissue with the Flair sequences.

2 cases of diffuse supra and infratentorial metastases were better delineated by the Flair images.

Conclusions: Flair sequences provide more informations particularly on the localization of the lesion ( intra-or extraaxial, intra-or extraventricular) Flair sequences can thus supplement, but not substitute, the conventional DP and T2 weighted SE and TSE sequences.