title: Sodium T2* relaxation times in human heart muscle.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine sodium transverse relaxation (T2*) characteristics for myocardium, blood and cartilage in humans.
  
  
  METHODS
  T2* measurements were performed using a 3D ECG-gated spoiled gradient echo sequence. A 1.5 Tesla clinical scanner and a 23Na heart surface coil were used to examine eight healthy volunteers. In biological tissue, the sodium 23 nucleus exhibits a two-component T2 relaxation due to the spin 3/2 and its quadrupolar nature. The long T2* components of normal myocardium, blood, and cartilage were quantified. For myocardium, the T2* was determined separately for the septum, anterior wall, lateral wall, and posterior wall.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The long T2* relaxation time components of 13.3 +/- 4.3 msec (septum 13.9 +/- 3.2 msec, anterior wall 13.8 +/- 5.4 msec, lateral wall 11.4 +/- 4.1 msec, posterior wall 14.1 +/- 3.7 msec), 19.3 +/- 3.3 msec, and 10.2 +/- 1.6 msec, were significantly different for myocardium, blood, and cartilage, respectively (P < 0.00001, Friedman's ANOVA).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measurement of 23Na T2* relaxation times is feasible for different regions of the human heart muscle, which might be useful for the evaluation of cardiac pathologies.
authors.affiliation: Insititut für Röntgendiagnostik, Universität Würzburg, Germany. pabst@roentgen.uni-wuerzberg.de
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pabst
authors.forename: Joern
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sandstede
authors.forename: Meinrad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beer
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kenn
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Neubauer
authors.forename: Dietbert
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hahn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001769:Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D002356:Cartilage / Q000378:metabolism; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012964:Sodium