NIST has developed a new measurement service that provides traceable standards for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements inside the human body. This service will help improve the accuracy of MRI scans and enable more precise clinical decision-making.
The service involves characterizing MRI scanner properties using “phantoms” – objects with standard reference materials that mimic specific tissues. NIST scientists measure the properties of these materials using a unique NMR system, providing traceability to the International System of Units (SI).
The service currently measures proton spin relaxation times T1 and T2, which are sensitive to local tissue properties and can serve as biomarkers for various medical conditions. NIST aims to expand the service to measure additional properties like water diffusion in the future.
This new service will help standardize MRI measurements across different scanners and improve the comparability of data from multi-center studies. It represents an important step towards achieving traceable measurements inside the human body.
Keywords: proton, magnetic field, NMR, traceability, uncertainties
