Kai Zhong1, Ralf Deichmann2,
Weiqiang Dou1, Oliver Speck1
1Biomedical Magnetic Resonance,
Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Saxon-Anhalt, Germany; 2Brain
Imaging Center, University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
Previous
studies at 7 T have related T2* maps to the iron deposition in brain
tissue. However, the field
inhomogeneity and susceptibility distortion at 7 T are significantly higher
compared to lower field. This potentially distorts the true T2* values and
could lead to false estimation of the tissue iron content. In this study, T2*
correction based on the susceptibility gradients was applied to 7 T and can
improve the resulting T2* maps. This method therefore should help to improve
the accurate determination of T2* at 7 T for clinical studies. On the other
hand, stronger dephasing is encountered, so thinner slices should be chosen
than at lower fields to avoid systematic errors.
Keywords