Relaxation Times of the Musculoskeletal Tissues at 0.55 T

Modern 0.55 T MRI promises to increase worldwide healthcare access through lower costs. Knowledge of the tissue relaxation parameters is essential to achieve the desired image contrast. Here for the first time, we quantify the T1 and T2 relaxation times of the musculoskeletal tissues through a Bloch model-based fitting approach. Our results show that the T1 relaxation time of non-fluid tissues is about 47% of those at 1.5 T. T2 relaxation times are about 70% of that of 1.5 T for synovial fluid, bone marrow and subcutaneous fat, and approximately similar to that of 1.5 T for cartilage and muscle.