This research seeks to exploit the multiple magnetic resonance properties of materials to produce selective projection images. Unlike existing cross-sectional images, these projections will include the entire volume of interest in a single image, making them ideal for screening. They will selectively visualize the material of interest, such as a specific organ or lesion, while cancelling all others. The objectives of this research include: (1) analytic and experimental studies to determine the optimum procedure, using magnetic resonance imaging, for creating an isolated projection image of important materials of interest, while cancelling all others; (2) determination of the data acquisition and data processing parameters that maximize the signal to noise ratio of the resultant selective image; and (3) verification of the analyses using test phantoms. This project will advance substantially the art of magnetic resonance imaging for medical and other purposes.
