New Fast Acquisition Package for Short T2 Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Bruker’s latest advancement in fast magnetic resonance imaging delivers images of structures and tissues that were previously not visible in MRI due to very short relaxation times. The new technology includes UTE and ZTE, techniques that now enable lung, bone or cartilage imaging in preclinical and clinical applications as well as material science applications on plastics or rubber in micro-imaging. The  techniques provide near-silent imaging capabilities (ZTE), higher sensitivity when compared to other short TE techniques, and most importantly are now available to everyone as integrated routine imaging protocols in the preclinical software package ParaVision 5.1.
 

Bruker’s solution benefits from techniques that are both based on pulse sequences with zero or near-zero echo time. This means that signals are acquired without the usual delay between the excitation and the spatial encoding. In addition the ultra-short TE sequences employ a 3D radial encoding mode with minimal gradient switching and high acquisition duty cycle that delivers extremely fast and silent scanning capablities.

Short echo time MRI has been pioneered by several research groups. Bruker was successful in evaluating and improving short TE techniques in 2009. Such a challenging field has required constant further development, but the rewards are considerable. Bruker’s unique package now includes the two most powerful and robust techniques available today. Short TE also enables researchers to explore new areas of contrast agent based imaging to track labeled cells or molecules.