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Abstract A sample of 20 bovine ovaries were imaged in vitro using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to determine the visibility of various physiologic structures. In particular, the possibility of using NMR imaging to differentiate atretic follicles from physiologically selected and ovulatory follicles was examined. Five of the 20 ovaries were preserved in formalin, whereas the remaining 15 were preserved in a saline solution and imaged within 18 hours of death. Images weighted by T1 and T2 proton spin relaxation rates were obtained along with some three-dimensional (3-D) data sets acquired via a fast imaging with steady-state precession technique. Physiologically different structures were easily identified in the images from their morphology, especially in the 3-D images. Weighting by T1 and T2 was able to separate structures in the fresh ovaries in the following manner. Atretic and “cohort” follicles appear dark in T1-weighted images and bright in T2-weighted images. Ovulatory follicles appear bright in both T1-and T2-weighted images, whereas prephysiologic selection follicles present an intermediate brightness in T1-weighted images and appear dark in T2-weighted images. The corpus luteum appears bright in T1-weighted images and dark in T2-weighted images, whereas cysts in the corpus luteum appear dark in T1-weighted images and bright in T2-weighted images. The varying brightness of the follicles at different stages of development is hypothesized to be related to different hormone and protein concentrations in the follicular fluid. For example, it is known that physiologically selected preovulatory follicles contain high concentrations of estrogens in a viscous follicular fluid. The increased viscosity may occur only when the follicle fluid contains high concentrations of estrogen and contributes to bright T1-weighted images. The possibility of using nuclear relaxation-weighted NMR imaging for the study of follicular dynamics and other ovarian biology therefore shows great promise.
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