Short-T₂ MRI: Principles and recent advances

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Medical Physics
• Radiology

Background:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers versatile contrast without ionizing radiation.
• Signal decay (short T2 or T2* relaxation times) limits MRI performance in tissues like bone, tendon, and lung.
• Specialized techniques have been developed to address these signal decay limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current status of short T2 MRI techniques.
• To structure the growing range of methods by highlighting overarching concepts and methodological options.
• To provide a detailed description of frequently used approaches.

Main Methods:

• Survey of existing literature on short T2 MRI.
• Categorization of techniques based on overarching concepts and methodological options.
• Detailed description of acquisition strategies, image reconstruction, hardware, contrast mechanisms, artifacts, limitations, and applications.

Main Results:

• Recent progress has expanded the available methods for short T2 MRI.
• The review categorizes and details various approaches to short T2 MRI.
• Key aspects covered include instrumentation, data acquisition, signal processing, and contrast introduction.

Conclusions:

• Short T2 MRI techniques are crucial for overcoming signal decay limitations in specific tissues.
• The review provides a structured overview of current methods, aiding in the selection and application of appropriate techniques.
• Continued advancements in instrumentation, acquisition, and processing are essential for further progress in short T2 MRI.