ABSTRACT
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful and versatile medical imaging modality and has been extensively applied to routine clinical prac-tice. In addition to its nonionizing radiation nature, a distinct advantage of MRI compared to other imaging modalities like computed tomography (CT), x-ray, and nuclear medicine is that MRI is able to provide superior and 566versatile soft tissue contrasts based on the intrinsic properties of tissues. Proton density–weighted contrast, T1-weighted contrast, and T2-weighted contrast are three common contrast mechanisms routinely used for clinical applications.
