Abstract #0960
Long T2 Imaging: Evidence of a New Water Reservoir in Phenylketonuria
Laule C, MacKay A, Sirrs S, Brief E, Bishop C, Li D, Tahir S
University of British Columbia
Our goal was to fully characterize the T2 distribution in phenylketonuria (PKU) white matter. 48-echo T2 relaxation data was acquired in 15 PKU subjects and 15 controls. A new water reservoir with a markedly prolonged T2 peak (200-800ms) was identified in PKU NAWM and lesions. Decreased myelin water and increased water content was observed in both PKU NAWM and lesions relative to controls. NAWM is not normal in PKU but exists in two forms: (1)Areas which appear normal on proton density (PD), T2 and Long-T2 map images (2)Areas which appear normal on PD/T2 images but are hyperintense on Long-T2 maps.
