Which imaging modality can reveal T2 shine through phenomena?

The T2 shine-through phenomenon is particularly associated with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in MRI. This occurs when a lesion's signal is influenced by both its inherent properties and the T2 relaxation time. In DWI, areas with high cellularity or restricted diffusion appear hyperintense due to the high signal generated from water molecules being restrained in their movement. As a result, these lesions may exhibit T2 shine-through, where they appear bright due to both their diffusion characteristics and T2 effects.

DWI is critical in detecting certain types of lesions, especially in the brain, where it helps to differentiate between different tissue types and pathologies, including tumors and abscesses. This characteristic is less prominent in other imaging modalities. For example, CT imaging largely provides information based on density rather than the characteristics of water movement; ultrasound utilizes sound waves and is not influenced by T2 properties, and X-ray imaging primarily reveals structural information without the ability to depict tissue characteristics like T2 effects. Thus, DWI is uniquely positioned to demonstrate the T2 shine-through phenomenon in MRI.