[Magnetic resonance tomography of the orbit using surface coils. Study technic, anatomy and initial clinical experience].

MRI of the orbit is strongly improved by the use of surface coils due to a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Oblique views without moving the patient present the optic nerve in full length on one slice. First experience with a small number of cases demonstrates normal anatomy and lesions in detail only at T1-weighted pulse sequences. Losses in contrast variation and detail accuracy are caused by movements of the eyeballs. Edge artifacts due to chemical shifting impair the image quality. So far there are no pointers towards tissue-specific signal intensity behaviour. Procedure and most favourable parameters at 1 tesla are given.