Magnetic resonance imaging of cortical bone with ultrashort TE pulse sequences

Using adiabatic inversion pulses for long‐T2 suppression in ultrashort echo time (UTE) imaging

“…These include imaging calcifications, cavernomas, and metastases in the brain (5,6), hemochromatosis and cirrhosis in the liver (7), the periosteum (8), cortical bone (9), lung parenchyma (10,11), and tendon, menisci, and articular cartilage (12)(13)(14). Recent studies have also investigated using gadolinium for contrast enhancement (15), as well as short-T 2 phosphorus and sodium imaging in vivo (16,17).…”

Ultrashort TE (UTE) Imaging of the Knee Cartilage at 3T

“…It has been demonstrated here that 2D UTE acquisition provides high contrast images of short T2 species in the knee joint, including the previously undetectable deep radial and calcified layers of cartilage and meniscus (Figures 3-9). The high signal in the calcified layer of cartilage was probably due to calcification producing T1 shortening as described with some lesions in the brain with conventional sequences, and seen routinely in tissues such as cortical bone with UTE sequences [38]. Evidence that the high signal regions are from the deep radial and calcified layers was obtained by direct reference to cadaver specimens and observations in vivo of the short T2 components in this region.…”

“…These techniques include fat suppression, long T2 water signal saturation [39,40], and inversion recovery techniques [38]. Clinical fat saturation techniques employ a non-selective saturation pulse to selectively suppress fat signals.…”

Magnetic resonance imaging of short T2 relaxation components in the musculoskeletal system

“…Periosteum which has a longer T2 than cortical bone can be differentiated and evidence of perfusion can be seen in both tissues using intravenous Gadolinium-DTPA [11]. The T1 of cortical bone is quite short and typically less than that of fat [12]. Cortical bone mobile proton density increases with age and is increased again in renal osteodystrophy [13].…”