Dharmesh R. Tailor1, James E. Baumgardner2, Walter R. T. Witschey3, Ravinder Reddy1
1Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 2Anesthesia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 3Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
T1ρ-Weighted MRI is demonstrated as a technique for monitoring partial pressure of oxygen, an important physiologic parameter with obvious functional and clinical implications, with a sensitivity that is higher than that of both T1 and T2 weighting. The possibility of T1ρ-weighted MRI for imaging localized PO2 changes is also demonstrated in the rat and human brain.