(FAT SAT) A specialized technique that selectively saturates fat protons prior to acquiring data as in standard sequences, so that they produce a negligible signal. The presaturation pulse is applied prior to each slice selection. This technique requires a very homogeneous magnetic field and very precise frequency calibration.
Fat saturation does not work well on inhomogeneous volumes of tissue due to a change in the precessional frequencies as the difference in volume affects the magnetic field homogeneity. The addition of a water bag simulates a more homogeneous volume of tissue, thus improving the fat saturation. Since the protons in the water bag are in motion due to recent motion of the bag, phase ghosts can be visualized.
Fat saturation can also be difficult in a region of metallic prosthesis. This is caused by an alteration in the local magnetic field resulting in a change to the precessional frequencies, rendering the chemical saturation pulses ineffective.

See also Fat Suppression, and Dixon.

Fat suppression is the process of utilizing specific MRI parameters to remove the deleterious effects of fat from the resulting images , e.g. with STIR, FAT SAT sequences, water selective (PROSET WATS - water only selection, also FATS - fat only selection possible) excitation techniques, or pulse sequences based on the Dixon method.
Spin magnetization can be modulated by using special RF pulses. CHESS or its variations like SPIR, SPAIR (Spectral Selection Attenuated Inversion Recovery) and FAT SAT use frequency selective excitation pulses, which produce fat saturation.
Fat suppression techniques are nearly used in all body parts and belong to every standard MRI protocol of joints like knee, shoulder, hips, etc. Imaging of, e.g. the foot can induce bad fat suppression with SPIR/FAT SAT due to the asymmetric volume of this body part. The volume of the foot alters the magnetic field to a different degree than the smaller volume of the lower leg affecting the protons there. There is only a small band of tissue where the fat protons are precessing at the frequency expected, resulting in frequency selective fat saturation working only in that area. This can be corrected by volume shimming or creating a more symmetrical volume being imaged with water bags.
Even with their longer scan time and motion sensitivity, STIR (short T1/tau inversion recovery) sequences are often the better choice to suppress fat. STIR images are also preferred because of the decreased sensitivity to field inhomogeneities, permitting larger fields of views when compared to fat suppressed images and the ability to image away from the isocenter.
See also Knee MRI.
Sequences based on Dixon turbo spin echo (fast spin echo) can deliver a significant better fat suppression than conventional TSE/FSE imaging.

Short name: Fe O-BPA, central moiety: Fe3+/Fe2+
An ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide under development (preclin.) as a vascular contrast agent for MR angiography.

See also USPIO.

Short name: Fe-EHPD, central moiety: Fe2+
A substance under development as a hepatobiliary MRI contrast agent for the detection of liver lesions. See also Hepatobiliary Chelates.

Short name: Fe-EHPG, central moiety: Fe2+
[Fe(EHPG)-] Iron(III) ethylenebis-(2-hydroxyphenylglycine) is a stable complex that has been tested in animals as a hepatobiliary contrast agent in MRI.

See also Hepatobiliary Contrast Agents, Hepatobiliary Chelates, and contrast agents.