Gout is a common disease caused by monosodium urate (MSU) accumulation in joints. Although conventional MR imaging well describes generic features of inflammation, sensitivity of MSU is relatively low compared to dual energy CT. Because MSU has diamagnetic susceptibility, high sensitivity can be expected in magnetic susceptibility related contrast imaging. However, calcium is another diamagnetic material existing in joints. Therefore, distinguishing MSU and calcium is an essential step for imaging MSU. In this context, we investigate the feasibility of multi-echo gradient echo based quantitative imaging for MSU assessment.
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