Ex vivo high resolution MR imaging of the human lip with a dedicated low field system

Histological correlations of the human lip with corresponding magnetic resonance (MR) images obtained ex vivo are presented. MR images were acquired with a dedicated low-field (0.1 T) MR system, with a resolution of 100 x 100 micron2 and a slice thickness of 1 mm using 3D-FLASH sequences. The outermost tissues visible on images are of high signal intensity, while the innermost connective tissues are of low signal intensity, both for skin and oral mucosa. It is possible to use a low-field system to obtain high resolution images of small biological samples.