Abstract #4359

Structural Characterization of Single Calcium Alginate Beads by 2.35 T MRI and MRS Methods

Matteo Bascelli¹, Antonietta Fracassi², Leonardo Adamo Pajewski¹, Antonello Sotgiu², Marcello Alecci²

¹Department CICM, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy; ²Department SdS, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy

Here we report the combined use of MRS and MRI at 2.35 T to study the microscopic structure of single alginate gel beads. We show that beads of about 3 mm in diameter present T2 map heterogeneity that can be attributed to polymer concentration gradients.