Abstract #3512

Functional T2 Measurements in Lower Back Muscles Before and After Isometric Muscle Contraction

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.