Deuterium magnetic resonance imaging of rabbit eye in vivo

We used deuterium magnetic resonance imaging (2H MRI) to visualize water movement in the rabbit eye. Dynamic 2H MRI was obtained every 3.5 min at 2 tesla by FLASH pulse sequence (TR, 300 ms; TE, 10 ms; alpha = 90 degrees) with a slice thickness of 10 mm using a surface coil (4 cm in diameter). After topical administration (0.2 ml D2O), only the aqueous chamber was imaged, and the signals decreased mono-exponentially. The flow rate was 0.113/min, in agreement with that already reported. After intravenous administration of deuterated saline (3 ml/kg), the aqueous chamber became visible first during imaging, then by the vitreous body. The signals around the lens were only faintly detected. Thus, deuterium MRI was determined to be useful for visualizing water movement in the eye.