Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 19, 2026
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
Published on: February 19, 2021
T 2 mapping of cerebrospinal fluid: 3 T versus 7 T
Jolanda M Spijkerman1, Esben T Petersen2, Jeroen Hendrikse3
1Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, HP E 01.132, P.O.Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands. j.m.spijkerman-2@umcutrecht.nl.
Object:
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) T 2 mapping can potentially be used to investigate CSF composition. A previously proposed CSF T 2-mapping method reported a T 2 difference between peripheral and ventricular CSF, and suggested that this reflected different CSF compositions. We studied the performance of this method at 7 T and evaluated the influence of partial volume and B 1 and B 0 inhomogeneity.
Materials And Methods:
T 2-preparation-based CSF T 2-mapping was performed in seven healthy volunteers at 7 and 3 T, and was compared with a single echo spin-echo sequence with various echo times. The influence of partial volume was assessed by our analyzing the longest echo times only. B 1 and B 0 maps were acquired. B 1 and B 0 dependency of the sequences was tested with a phantom.
Results:
T 2,CSF was shorter at 7 T compared with 3 T. At 3 T, but not at 7 T, peripheral T 2,CSF was significantly shorter than ventricular T 2,CSF. Partial volume contributed to this T 2 difference, but could not fully explain it. B 1 and B 0 inhomogeneity had only a very limited effect. T 2,CSF did not depend on the voxel size, probably because of the used method to select of the regions of interest.
Conclusion:
CSF T 2 mapping is feasible at 7 T. The shorter peripheral T 2,CSF is likely a combined effect of partial volume and CSF composition.
