Which of the following parameter sets would produce a T2 weighted MRI?

Which of the following parameter sets would produce a T2 weighted MRI?

• A. TE: 175 TR: 1250
• B. TE: 60 TR: 600
• C. TE: 200 TR: 500
• D. TE: 25 TR: 1750

Answer: (A)

T2 weighting comes from using a long TE so tissues have time to undergo transverse relaxation differences, and a long TR to minimize T1 recovery effects that can mask those T2 differences. The parameter set with TE = 175 ms and TR = 1250 ms uses both long TE and long TR, so the signal is primarily governed by T2 decay rather than T1 recovery. The other options don’t pair sufficiently long TE and long TR together: a short TE reduces T2 contrast even if TR is long; a long TE with a mid-range or short TR allows T1 effects to creep in; and a very short TE suppresses T2 contrast despite a long TR.

T2 weighting comes from using a long TE so tissues have time to undergo transverse relaxation differences, and a long TR to minimize T1 recovery effects that can mask those T2 differences. The parameter set with TE = 175 ms and TR = 1250 ms uses both long TE and long TR, so the signal is primarily governed by T2 decay rather than T1 recovery. The other options don’t pair sufficiently long TE and long TR together: a short TE reduces T2 contrast even if TR is long; a long TE with a mid-range or short TR allows T1 effects to creep in; and a very short TE suppresses T2 contrast despite a long TR.