Premium
Magnetic susceptibility shift selected imaging: MESSI
Author(s) -
Xu Yan,
Balschi James A.,
Springer Charles S.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.1910160109
Subject(s) - nuclear magnetic resonance , paramagnetism , relaxation (psychology) , excitation , magnetization , magnetic resonance imaging , imaging phantom , contrast (vision) , magnetic susceptibility , chemistry , pulse sequence , excited state , magnetic field , materials science , condensed matter physics , physics , atomic physics , optics , biology , crystallography , radiology , medicine , quantum mechanics , neuroscience
Paramagnetic compounds are often used to enhance contrast in MRI by virtue of their increase in the kinetics of the relaxation of water 1 H magnetization. Here, we demonstrate a method for contrast enhancement which is based on the resonance frequency shifts caused by the bulk magnetic susceptibility (BMS) effects of such compounds. This involves the frequency selective excitation in the absence of field gradients, during the imaging sequence, of a portion of the water 1 H resonance which is rendered inhomogeneous by BMS shifts only. The image which results is of that portion of the sample which gives rise to the portion of the spectrum excited. A phantom sample which simulates some aspects of tissue, particularly blood vessels with different orientations in the magnetic field, was prepared. The contrast enhancement exhibited here avoids some of the distortions attendant to the use of paramagnetic reagents. This new approach can, in principle, utilize the natural BMS differences found in all tissue. © 1990 Academic Press, Inc.