Purpose: To investigate tissue dependence of the MRI-based thermometry in frozen tissue by quantification and comparison of signal intensity and T2* of ex vivo frozen tissue of three different types: heart muscle, kidney, and liver.
Materials and methods: Tissue samples were frozen and imaged on a 0.5 Tesla MRI scanner with ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequence. Signal intensity and T2* were determined as the temperature of the tissue samples was decreased from room temperature to approximately -40 degrees C. Statistical analysis was performed for (-20 degrees C, -5 degrees C) temperature interval.
Results: The findings of this study demonstrate that signal intensity and T2* are consistent across three types of tissue for (-20 degrees C, -5 degrees C) temperature interval.
Conclusion: Both parameters can be used to calculate a single temperature calibration curve for all three types of tissue and potentially in the future serve as a foundation for tissue-independent MRI-based thermometry.