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To characterize the magnetic resonance (MR) relaxation times (ie, T1 and T2 relaxation times) of a variety of kidney stone specimens using an ultra-short echo time (UTE) sequence and to correlate these values to their size and composition based on chemical analysis.

This was an institutional review board–approved, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act–compliant study with waiver of informed consent. Between April 2009 and September 2009, stones from 36 patients underwent 1.5T MR imaging with two UTE pulse sequences to measure: 1) T2 relaxation times (repetition time [TR] = 1 second and multiple echo times [TEs] ranging from 0.1 ms up to 2 ms); 2) T1 relaxation times (TE = 0.1 ms and multiple TRs ranging from 500 ms to 2.5 seconds). A tube containing a solution of water and hydroxyapatite crystals near the stones served as reference standard …