Measurement of spin-lattice relaxation times in nuclear magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

The diagnostic utility of proton (1H) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging is greatly enhanced when the image is weighted with proton relaxation time information. The authors indicate factors affecting the accuracy of such measurements (especially with respect to T1 determination) and, specifically, the accuracy of one approach which has been used in their laboratory is assessed. A brief discussion pertaining to the validity of data obtained from biological material is presented.