title: Short T2 contrast with three-dimensional ultrashort echo time imaging.
abstract: There is increasing interest in imaging short T2 species which show little or no signal with conventional magnetic resonance (MR) pulse sequences. In this paper, we describe the use of three-dimensional ultrashort echo time (3D UTE) sequences with TEs down to 8 μs for imaging of these species. Image contrast was generated with acquisitions using dual echo 3D UTE with echo subtraction, dual echo 3D UTE with rescaled subtraction, long T2 saturation 3D UTE, long T2 saturation dual echo 3D UTE with echo subtraction, single adiabatic inversion recovery 3D UTE, single adiabatic inversion recovery dual echo 3D UTE with echo subtraction and dual adiabatic inversion recovery 3D UTE. The feasibility of using these approaches was demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo imaging of calcified cartilage, aponeuroses, menisci, tendons, ligaments and cortical bone with a 3-T clinical MR scanner. Signal-to-noise ratios and contrast-to-noise ratios were used to compare the techniques.
authors: Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92103-8226, USA. jiangdu@ucsd.edu
authors: Jiang
authors: J
authors: Du
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Bydder
authors: Atsushi M
authors: AM
authors: Takahashi
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Carl
authors: Christine B
authors: CB
authors: Chung
authors: Graeme M
authors: GM
authors: Bydder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D010329:Patella / Q000473:pathology; D013552:Swine; D013710:Tendons / Q000473:pathology; D013977:Tibia / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors