Fatsuppressed

Fatsuppressed refers to a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence designed to reduce or eliminate the signal from fat tissue. This technique is crucial in various medical imaging applications where the high signal intensity of fat can obscure or interfere with the visualization of other tissues. By suppressing the fat signal, MRI scans can provide clearer images of specific anatomical structures, pathologies, or physiological processes.

Several methods are employed to achieve fat suppression in MRI. One common technique is chemical shift selective (CSS) saturation, which exploits the slight difference in resonance frequency between water and fat protons. Another method involves using a fat-selective radiofrequency pulse to invert the magnetization of fat protons, causing their signal to be nullified. Spatial saturation bands can also be used to selectively remove fat signals from specific regions of interest.

Fatsuppressed MRI sequences are widely used in neuroimaging to better visualize brain lesions, in musculoskeletal imaging to detect inflammation or tumors in joints and surrounding tissues, and in abdominal and pelvic imaging to assess organs and detect abnormalities. The ability to selectively remove the fat signal enhances the contrast between different tissues, leading to improved diagnostic accuracy. The specific choice of fat suppression technique depends on the clinical application, the desired image contrast, and the susceptibility to artifacts.