title: Magnetic resonance T2* measurements of the normal human lung in vivo with ultra-short echo times.
abstract: The objective of this study was to measure T2* values of the normal human lung in vivo during breathhold using a rapid gradient-echo sequence with ultra-short echo times (TE). A sagittal slice of the right lung was imaged in six volunteers with various TE ranging from 0.5 ms to 5 ms using a clinical 1.5 Tesla MR scanner. T2* values were calculated in a region of interest in the dependent and non-dependent lung. In the dependent lung, T2* values of 1.1 ms+/-0.15 ms were measured, and in the non-dependent lung, 0.86 ms+/-0.11 (p < 0.01). T2* measurements of the normal human lung during breathhold are feasible with a clinical MR unit. The short T2* values require the use of very short TE times (< 2.5 ms) in gradient-echo sequences to obtain adequate signal intensity from lung tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Stock
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hatabu
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Edelman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values