29Si imaging of silicone breast implants and intraocular silicone oil.
Silicon-29 (29Si) imaging was investigated as a potential imaging modality for monitoring silicone prostheses in humans. The 29Si relaxation times of several silicone gels were measured and found to average T1 = 21.2 +/- 1.5 s and T2 = 207 +/- 40 ms, with no significant difference between virgin and explanted gels. A single-shot half-Fourier rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) and a refocused gradient-echo sequence were used for acquiring 29Si images with 5 x 5 mm2 resolution and no slice selection. Three volunteers with silicone-gel-filled breast implants and one subject with an intraocular silicone oil injection were thus examined in a total acquisition time of 10-15 min per image. On all 29Si images, the shape of the silicone object was well depicted. Although at present, conventional proton images are superior in resolution and signal-to-noise ratio, 29Si imaging has the advantage of optimal specificity, since only the silicone itself is visible.
Haselhorst
R
R
MR-Center and Biocenter, University of Basel, Switzerland.
Scheffler
K
K
Faletti
L
L
Kaspar
A
A
Prünte
C
C
Seelig
J
J
D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000032:analysis*; D018427:Breast Implants; D005137:Eye, Artificial; D005260:Female; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007554:Isotopes; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012826:Silicone Elastomers / Q000032:analysis*; D012827:Silicone Oils / Q000032:analysis*
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D007554:Isotopes; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D012827:Silicone Oils