USE OF CROSS-LINKED HYDROGEL MATERIALS AS IMAGE CONTRAST AGENTS IN PROTON NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE TOMOGRAPHY AND TISSUE PHANTOM KITS CONTAINING SUCH MATERIALS

摘要

USE OF CROSS-LINKED HYDROGEL MATERIALS AS IMAGE CONTRASTAGENTS IN PROTON NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE TOMOGRAPHY ANDTISSUE PHANTOM KITS CONTAINING SUCH MATERIALSABSTRACTCross-linked hydrogel materials in the swollen stateexhibit a range of nuclear magnetic resonance spin densityvalues, spin-lattice or longitudinal relaxation (T1)values, and spin-spin or transverse relaxation (T2) valuesembracing that of the spectrum of values associated withanimal and human tissues, thereby rendering such materialsuseful in nuclear magnetic resonance tomography equipmentcontrast determinations in physiological imaging and, as tothose cross-linked hydrogel materials having T1 and T2values substantially shorter than the surrounding tissue,such materials are useful as image contrast agents, forexample, in the gastro-intestinal tract.