Are mono-exponential fits to a few echoes sufficient to determine T2 relaxation for in vivo human brain?

Magn Reson Med. 1999 Jun;41(6):1255-7. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1522-2594(199906)41:6<1255::aid-mrm23>3.0.co;2-i.

Abstract

T2 relaxation decay curves from in vivo human brain tissue are rarely mono-exponential. Partial volume averaging further reduces the chance of mono-exponential decay. Moreover, the parameters derived from few-echo mono-exponential fits change with the measurement echo times and have the largest possible variance. In this note, multi-exponential fits to 32-echo relaxation decay curves from in vivo human brain are used to design simulations (where the truth is known) to demonstrate the pitfalls of few-echo mono-exponential interpretations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Brain / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Multiple Sclerosis / pathology*