Blood oxygenation dependence of t1 and t2 in the isolated, perfused rabbit heart at 4.7t

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Abstract
An MR line scan protocol has been used to measure relaxation parameters (T1 and T2) in isolated, blood perfused rabbit hearts at various blood oxygenations. Hearts were retro-gradely perfused at 37°C with a cardioplegic solution (modified St. Thomas' solution) containing sheep red blood cells and adenosine (1 mM) to maximally vasodilate the coronary vascular bed. Arresting the hearts eliminated motion complications and minimized arteriovenous oxygenation differences. The authors have found that under conditions of stable flow, there is a strong correlation between T2 in myocardial septa and hemoglobin (Hb) saturation, while tissue T1 is virtually independent of blood oxygenation. These effects are believed to be due to the paramagnetic agent deoxyhemoglobin.