Patent ID: 6219571
Filing Date: 2001-04-17
Classification: A61B,G01R

Abstract:
A method of imaging a material with improved contrast in a region of an objectxsing magnetic resonance, said material having relaxation times T.sub.1 and T.sub.2, said method comprising the steps of:a) placing the object in a static magnetic field along a longitudinal axis (z),b) applying a first slice selective excitation pulse to tip nuclear spins through an angle .alpha. about a second axis (x) in a rotating frame (x,y),c) applying a first refocusing pulse along a third axis in the rotating frame (y),d) detecting a first spin echo at a time TE after application of the slice selective pulse,e) applying a second refocusing pulse along the third axis in the rotating frame (y),f) applying a second slice selective excitation pulse through an angle -.alpha. about the second axis (x) in the rotating frame at a time TE after detecting the first spin echo for driving any remaining transverse magnetization back to the longitudinal axis, andg) repeating steps b) through f) with step b) repeated at a time .tau..sub.1 after applying the second slice selective excitation pulse, time .tau..sub.1 being equal to the process repetition rate, TR, minus twice the echo time, TE.