[In vivo measurement of tissue relaxation times using localized 31P and 1H MR spectroscopy]

Methods of in vivo determination of 31P longitudinal relaxation times within image-determined volume selected MRI spectroscopy have been investigated. T1 values for phosphor compounds in skeletal muscle and in brain have been measured. The 1H relaxation times of T1 and T2 of diffuse parenchymal liver disease, using inversion recovery and spin echo sequences were compared with quantitative MR tomography. Clinically, spectroscopic techniques are particularly useful where there is superimposition of water and lipid signals during MR imaging.