Relaxation along Fictitious Field (RAFF) at various pulse durations was exploited to study the contrast in collagen phantoms and cartilage-mimicking phantoms. RAFF Relaxation times from collagen phantoms agreed with Bloch McConnell simulations. The maximum contrast between collagen phantoms with concentration difference was maximized when pulse duration was ~2.8 ms. Given the optimized pulse duration, our simulation results combined with ex vivo measurements suggest that hydroxyl groups concentration through proton exchange between collagen and free water may have significant role in TRAFF contrast between intact and degraded cartilage.
This abstract and the presentation materials are available to members only; a login is required.