Experimental Influences on the Anisotropies of Multi-Component T2 and T1ρ in Tendon

Yang Xia¹, ², Nian Wang¹

To study the anisotropic characteristics of multi-component T1ρ and T2 relaxation times in tendon, T2 and T1ρ were measured by NMR spectroscopy at different orientations and by microscopic MRI at the magic angle. Up to three T2 and T1ρ components were resolved in tendon. Both the values and the fractions of T2 in tendon showed significant orientational dependence. T1ρ strongly depended on both the specimen orientation and the spin-lock strength. The imaging resolution (35 280 m) had little influence in the T2 experiments. The transitions between mono- and multi-component result call for the caution in interpreting the relaxation results.