MRI measures of signal decay without refocusing, with intermittent refocusing and with continuous refocusing reflected by time constants T2*, T2, and T1ρ can yield important clinical information in myocardial pathophysiology. T2* is used to characterize iron overload, although specificity is reduced by susceptibility effects. By incorporating refocusing of static inhomogeneity effects, T2 yields more specific characterization of signal changes associated with changes in blood oxygenation reflecting ischemia and changes in water mobility reflecting inflammation. Decreasing refocusing interval reduces dephasing due to diffusion through gradients and chemical exchange effects and has been used to increase T1ρ contrast between healthy and infarcted myocardium.
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