Toward an automated analysis system for nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. I. Efficient pulse sequences for simultaneous T 1 -T 2 imaging

Abstract

Simultaneous T 1 and T 2images have been obtained using multiple‐echo self‐normalizing sequences. Differential T 1 and T 2 discrimination for two of these sequences, double saturation recovery and inversion–saturation recovery, have been explored in detail. The inversion–saturation recovery sequence exhibits T 1 discrimination comparable to, and in many cases better than, that of optimal T 1 weighted conventional pulse sequences, but is poor for T 2imaging. The double saturation recovery sequence yields comparable tissue discrimination for T 1 and T 2imaging, but is poor compared to optimal T 1 weighted and T 2 weighted conventional pulse sequences. Simultaneous T 1 and T 2images represent quantitative maps of intrinsic tissue properties, and hence form a natural basis for an automated image analysis and tissue classification system.