Chemical shift artifact-free microscopy: Spectroscopic microimaging of thehuman skin

A spectroscopic imaging technique with high spatial resolution was used for the study of human skin in vivo. The measurements were performed using a w hole-body magnetic resonance system (1.5 T) with standard gradients and a s tandard 8-cm diameter circular surface coil. A decisive gain in signal-to-n oise ratio was achieved by reducing the receiver bandwidth of the imaging s ystem to values less than +/-5 kHz. The chemical shift misregistration was eliminated by post-detection data processing. The method was tested on diff erent kinds of skin, on the foot sole and head. Water, fat, and chemical sh ift artifact-free images were obtained with resolution 0.107 x 0.143 mm in plane and slice thickness 1 mm, A major advantage of the spectroscopic imag ing procedure is that the pulse sequence can be optimized for the maximum s ignal-to-noise ratio. There is no need for special modification of the sequ ence to circumvent the chemical shift artifacts (water, fat suppression, et c.). Magn Reson Med 41:904-908, 1999. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.