Reported T2 values in breast tissue are sparse and often disagree. In this study we estimate the T2 relaxation time of fibroglandular breast tissue including fatty compartments intermixed within the fibroglandular matrix. T2 mapping was performed at high spatial resolution for 15 patients at 3T with 4 TEs from 12 to 160 ms and intra- and inter-patient T2 heterogeneity were evaluated. T2 within the finroglandular environment is on the order of 100 ms with a mean standard deviation per patient of 29.6 ms. We hypothesize that this heterogeneity may reflect differences in the fibroglandular microenvironment related to breast cancer risk.
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