Chemical shift selective MR imaging using a whole-body magnet.

We have applied a new method for separating water and fat resonances in proton magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to human studies using a whole-body MR imaging system at 2.0 T. Chemical shift selective (CHESS) MR imaging provides either a water or fat image in a single experimental run within the same time needed for a conventional composite image. Although the technique requires a spectral resolution of about 1 ppm over the entire imaging region, first images of the human head and hip indicated that CHESS MR imaging is extremely promising for use in clinical investigations. Moreover, CHESS MR imaging can be combined arbitrarily with other imaging modalities and is easy to implement in any high-field MR imaging system.