The diagnostic value of morphology and relaxation times in NMR-imaging of the body.

NMR examinations were performed on a total of 109 patients using a resistive magnet. In 67 patients various organs and tissues of the face and neck the trunk and the limbs were evaluated in axial, sagittal and coronal planes. The use of more than one sequence time is essential for adequate representation of the anatomical structures and for detection and evaluation of pathological processes. They are the base to compute "secondary" T1- and T2-images, in order to obtain numerical values of both relaxation times. Thus a better understanding of the morphology of structures within the images is obtained. NMR appears to represent a sensitive method of tissue characterization: Specific changes in the T1- and the T2-pattern were found in pathological conditions, e.g. longer T1-times with normal or moderately longer T2-times in tumors compared to healthy tissue and extremely long T1- and T2-times typical of fluid accumulations.