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Abstract #2270

Layer-Specific Anatomical MRI of the Retina with Balanced Steady State Free Precession with and Without Manganese Enhancement

Eric Raymond Muir1,2, Bryan H. De La Garza2, Sung-Hong Park3, Timothy Q. Duong2

1Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States; 2Research Imaging Institute, Ophthalmology/Radiology, UT Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States; 3Research Imaging Institute, Radiology, UT Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States


Anatomical MRI of the retina has previously reported 3-4 layers in the rodent retina using conventional gradient echo (GE) and spin echo MRI. Following intraocular injection of manganese, seven layers were detected previously. This study explored balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) MRI to image the mouse retina at 35x35x200 m. Moreover, we compared GE and bSSFP with and without intraocular manganese injection. We demonstrated that bSSFP can reveal 7 layers without using contrast agent. Layers detected by bSSFP without manganese were consistent with those of manganese-enhanced MRI and histology.