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Multicomponent T 2 relaxation studies of the avian egg
Author(s) -
Mitsouras Dimitris,
Mulkern Robert V.,
Maier Stephan E.
Publication year - 2016
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.25762
Subject(s) - relaxation (psychology) , nuclear magnetic resonance , chemistry , biology , physics , neuroscience
Purpose To investigate the tissue‐like multiexponential T 2 signal decays in avian eggs. Methods Transverse relaxation studies of raw, soft‐boiled and hard‐boiled eggs were performed at 3 Tesla using a three‐dimensional Carr‐Purcell‐Meiboom‐Gill imaging sequence. Signal decays over a TE range of 11 to 354 ms were fitted assuming single‐ and multicomponent signal decays with up to three separately decaying components. Fat saturation was used to facilitate spectral assignment of observed decay components. Results Egg white, yolk and the centrally located latebra all demonstrate nonmonoexponential T 2 decays. Specifically, egg white exhibits two‐component decays with intermediate and long T 2 times. Meanwhile, yolk and latebra are generally best characterized with triexponential decays, with short, intermediate and very long T 2 decay times. Fat saturation revealed that the intermediate component of yolk could be attributed to lipids. Cooking of the egg profoundly altered the decay curves. Conclusion Avian egg T 2 decay curves cover a wide range of decay times. Observed T 2 components in yolk and latebra as short as 10 ms, may prove valuable for testing clinical sequences designed to measure short T 2 components, such as myelin‐associated water in the brain. Thus we propose that the egg can be a versatile and widely available MR transverse relaxation phantom. Magn Reson Med 75:2156–2164, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.