In vivo proton nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy studies of halocarbon-induced liver damage

Proton magnetic resonance imaging and localized NMR spectroscopy were used to study the rat liver in situ. Respiratory gating was used in both the imaging and the localized spectroscopy studies to control for the movement of the upper abdomen of the rat during breathing. After administration of carbon tetrachloride, bromotrichloromethane, or halothane, localized regions of high proton signal intensity were observed in the NMR images of the liver. Localized (VOSY) proton NMR spectra from within these regions indicated that the increase in a signal intensity was due to a longer T2 relaxation time for the water resonance, indicating acute edema in the region of tissue damage.