Nicholas G. Dowell1, Edward H. Hughes2, Andrew Simpson2, Paul S. Tofts1
1Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom; 2Sussex Eye Hospital, Brighton, United Kingdom
The relaxation parameter T1 has a dependence on the partial pressure of O2 (pO2), since T1 is reduced by the presence of paramagnetic O2. Here we discuss the construction of a pO2 phantom that can be used to precisely determine this T1 dependence on pO2, with the intention of performing precise measures of oxygenation in the vitreous humour (the clear gel between the lens and the retina) in the eye. We present the relation between pO2 and T1 for balanced salt solution (BSS), which is used as a replacement for the extracted vitreous humour following a vitrectomy.