Ian J. Rowland1, McLean Gunderson2, Seth Dailey2, Jose R. Torrealba3
1Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States; 2Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States; 3Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Unlike optical microscopy, MR microscopy has few stains available to enhance contrast between tissue types. Whilst a significant number of MR microscopy studies use gadolinium based contrast agents to enhance available signal, enhanced tissue contrast is not guaranteed. In this study, we demonstrate that potassium dichromate may be utilized as a general MR histology stain to enhance contrast between a range of tissue types. The tissue specific generation of paramagnetic chromium species is responsible for the observed MR imaging contrast. Despite tissue oxidation, this study also demonstrates that standard histological procedures are unaffected following the chromium based MR staining.