Field-cycling relaxometry: medical applications.

Relaxometry between 10 kHz and 200 MHz (0.2 mT and 4.7 T) with a field-cycling device and a high-field-strength magnetic resonance (MR) unit permitted the determination of longitudinal relaxation rates of tissues and chemical compounds at numerous field strengths. The resulting nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion profiles allowed the prediction of tissue contrast and efficacy of contrast agents at any field strength. Pure T1 contrast of normal brain tissue and pathologic lesions (multiple sclerosis, astrocytoma) increased from low field strengths to a maximum between 10 and 20 MHz and decreased afterward. Quadripolar dips reflecting the interaction between water and nitrogen atoms of the protein backbone appeared at 2.15 and 2.8 MHz, reducing T1 and opening the possibility of shorter imaging times and better tissue discrimination at these field strengths. Furthermore, it was shown that zero T1 contrast between normal and pathologic tissue samples may exist at certain field strengths. Gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid and gadolinium tetraazacyclododecanetetraacetic acid provided different contrast enhancement depending on the field strength.