T1 and T2 Quantification for Short T2 Tissues: Challenges and Solutions

Michael Carl¹, Jiang Du², Jing-Tzyh Alan Chiang², Eric Han¹, Christine Chung²

The relaxation properties T1 and T2 of MRI images are important parameters in assessment of pathology. Many musculoskeletal (MSK) tissues (cortical bone, tendon, ligaments, etc) have very short transverse relaxation times. UTE imaging of MSK tissues can pose unique challenges for the quantification of the longitudinal or transverse relaxation. We describe these challenges and offer simple solutions to help overcome them.