A simple way to acquire T1-weighted MR images of rat liver with respiratory triggering

To acquire high-resolution T1-weighted images of the liver in rats, for which breath-holding cannot be ensured, respiratory triggering is essential. At the respiratory rate of 30–60 times/min in rats, however, T1-weighted images cannot be obtained with simple triggering. As a simple solution to this, we applied multiple repeated acquisitions with one trigger signal. With this technique, sufficient T1 contrast could be easily achieved in rat liver enhanced by gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid infusion.