Patent ID: 8417316

Claim:
A method of imaging a living tissue, comprising: (a) exposing said living tissue to a first set of MR pulses which result in a proton magnetization exchange between water molecules and macromolecules of said tissue, followed by (b) applying a first imaging sequence; (c) detecting spatially differentiated intensities of signals generated by applying said first imaging sequence following said proton magnetization exchange; (d) expressing said signal intensities as spatially differentiated contrast data of an image; (e) exposing said tissue to a second set of MR pulses, which second set does not result in a proton magnetization exchange between water molecules and macromolecules of said tissue, followed by applying a second imaging sequence; (f) calculating an image representing differences between signals detected from said first and from said second imaging sequences; and (g) calculating a difference between a first signal generated in response to a first pulse sequence of said MR pulses and a second signal generated in response to a second pulse sequence of said MR pulses, said first and second pulse sequences each having a first pulse, a second pulse, and a third pulse, wherein (i) a first time interval between said first and said second pulses of said first signal is sufficiently long to allow relaxation of transverse magnetization of said macromolecules and sufficiently short to prevent significant relaxation of transverse magnetization of said water molecules; and (ii) a second time interval between said second pulse and said third pulse of said first signal is sufficiently long to allow substantial transfer of magnetization from said water molecules to said macromolecules.