Patrick Hiepe1,
Alexander Gussew2, Reinhard Rzanny3, Jrgen R.
Reichenbach3
1Medical
Physics Group, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology I , Jena
University Hospital, Jena, Germany; 2Medical Physics Group,
Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology I , Jena University
Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena , Jena, Germany; 3Medical
Physics Group, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology I, Jena
University Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
This contribution evaluates the feasibility of applying SE-EPI in lower back muscles to determine T2 relaxation changes in lower back muscles during exercise in a group of healthy volunteers. A series of T2-weighted images with incrementally increasing echo times was acquired pre- and post-exercise. Exercise was performed over a time period of 10 min and arranged as a modified Srensen test. In all examined lower back muscles significantly increased T2 values were observed, whereby T2 increases revealed spatial variations. Hence, functional T2 quantitation can be used for spatial resolved studies of muscle fatigue.