Magnetization transfer effects on T1-weighted three-dimensional gradient-echo MR images of a phantom simulating enhancing brain lesions

PURPOSE: To develop a simple tissue phantom to study the effects of Various imaging parameters and gadolinium concentrations on magnetization transfer (MT) and lesion-to-background ratios. METHODS: A commercial egg product was doped with gadolinium in concentrations of 0.0 to 1.0 mmol/L and cooked. The T1 and T2 values were determined for the phantom materials and for the white and gray matter of a healthy volunteer subject. The gadolinium-doped egg phantom and human brain were studied using a short-repetition-time three-dimensional gradient-echo MT sequence with Various effective MT powers, frequency offsets, and section-select flip angles. The normalized signal intensities, MT ratios (MTRs), and simulated lesion-to-background normal white matter contrast ratios were determined for a variety of experimental conditions. RESULTS: The MTR and lesion-to-background contrast ratios for all materials were greatest at the highest effective MT power (270 Hz, root-mean-square of amplitude) and the narrowest MT pulse frequency offset (1000 Hz). There was an inverse relationship between gadolinium concentration and MTR, and a positive relationship between the gadolinium concentration and lesion-to-background contrast. MTR was greatest at low flip angles, where there was little T1 weighting. The simulated lesion-to-background contrast showed a complex, gadolinium concentration-dependent relationship with section excitation flip angle. CONCLUSIONS: The tissue phantom has relaxation properties and MT behavior close to that expected for enhancing brain lesions, allowing a rigorous analysis of simulated lesion-to-background contrast for high MT power, short-repetition-time, three-dimensional gradient-echo sequences.