Short T2* imaging in a portable and low-field MRI scanner

Motivation: We have previously demonstrated the versatility of a portable 72mT extremity MRI scanner. Hard tissue imaging would enhance the system’s potential, but this remains to be demonstrated in low-field systems (<0.1T)Goal(s): To explore the possibility of imaging samples with T2*<1ms, comparable to those bone or ligament. Approach: We programmed a PETRA sequence into the MaRCoS opens-source console, and we compared images of short and long T2* samples resulting from PETRA and Spin Echo. Results: Image reconstructions show that samples with T2* as low as 800us can be successfully imaged with PETRA in conditions where Spin Echo outputs mostly noise. Impact: By successfully capturing signals from short T2* tissues, our research enhances our 72mT portable MRI scanner utility designed for extremity imaging.