Biomedical 19F MRI Using Perfluorocarbons.

ABSTRACT

Background-free fluorine (19F) MR imaging exhibits an excellent degree of specificity, and facilitates among others the in vivo visualization of inflammatory processes. Merging19F MR images with morphologically matching1H MR images enables the exact anatomic localization of the observed19F signal. Biochemically inert nanoemulsions of perfluorocarbons, which are known to be taken up by the macrophage/monocyte system, are widely used as contrast agents for preclinical applications. Herein, the most common protocols are described to obtain high-resolution and artifact-free19F MR images even for compounds with complex19F MR spectra. In addition, we report on the utilization of perfluorocarbons with individual spectral identities and targeting approaches to specifically visualize thrombi by19F MRI.