Richard D. Dortch1,2, Adam R. Horch1,2, Mark D. Does1,2
1Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; 2Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville , TN, USA
Inverting T2 decay data into a relaxation distribution via inverse Laplace transform methods allows one decompose bulk NMR signal into components that represent underlying microanatomical tissue compartments. Intercompartmental exchange is often ignored in this analysis, as it is not possible to fully invert the system from T2 data alone when exchange is included; however, exchange can have a significant effect on the extracted pool sizes and T2s. In this study, a novel approach for measuring intercompartmental exchange, which allows one to significantly reduce scan time relative to existing approaches, is presented and validated in an aqueous urea model.