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Pulsed magnetization transfer spin‐echo MR imaging
Author(s) -
Bruce Pike G.,
Glover Gary H.,
Hu Bob S.,
Enzmann Dieter R.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.1880030316
Subject(s) - magnetization transfer , nuclear magnetic resonance , saturation (graph theory) , relaxation (psychology) , bloch equations , proton , spin echo , pulse (music) , pulse sequence , magnetic resonance imaging , spin–lattice relaxation , macromolecule , chemistry , materials science , physics , optics , nuclear physics , medicine , biochemistry , mathematics , combinatorics , detector , radiology
Cross relaxation between macromolecular protons and water protons is known to be important in biologic tissue. In magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequences, selective saturation of the characteristically short T2 macromolecular proton pool can produce contrast called magnetization transfer contrast, based on the cross‐relaxation process. Selective saturation can be achieved with continuous wave irradiation several kilohertz off resonance or short, intense 0° pulses on resonance. The authors analyze 0° binomial pulses for T2 selective saturation, present design guidelines, and demonstrate the use of these pulses in spin‐echo imaging sequences in healthy volunteers and patients. Using the phenomenologic Bloch equations modified for two‐site exchange, the authors derive the analytic expressions for water proton relaxation under periodic pulsed saturation of the macromolecular protons. This relaxation is shown to be monoexpo‐nential, with a rate constant dependent on the saturation pulse repetition rate and the individual and cross‐relaxation rates.