A method for generating magnetic resonance microimaging T2 maps with low sensitivity to diffusion.

Generating T2 maps in magnetic resonance microimaging is often complicated by the self-diffusion of water molecules. A modification of the standard spin-echo pulse sequence is proposed which minimizes this effect. Experiments with doped water confirmed that the T2 values obtained with the modified sequence were equal within the experimental error to the value obtained by the spectroscopic Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill method. The applicability of the technique is demonstrated by generating T2 maps of porcine articular cartilage.