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Fig 1. In vivo MR imaging of intact spinal cord at 17.6T. Panels A and B show sagittal scans through the thoracic spinal cord (section thickness, 239 µm; FOV, 40 x 30 mm; in-plane resolution, 156 x 117 µm; TR,
200 milliseconds, depending on heart rate; TE, 4.4 milliseconds). Panels C and D display axial scans through the thoracic spinal cord (section thickness, 500 µm; FOV, 17.7 x 35.5 mm; in-plane resolution, 69 x 69 µm; TR and TE, as above). Scale bar, 2 mm. A, A more lateral sagittal scan depicts primarily white matter (lower signal intensity) with some longitudinally oriented more hyperintense structure, reflecting the gray matter of the lateral ventral horn. CSF appears hyperintense, vertebral bodies are hypointense. B, Most of the spinal cord parenchyma displayed here represents gray matter (hyperintense) surrounded by white matter tracts (hypointense) in a paramedian sagittal scan through the spinal cord. C, An axial scan through the thoracic spinal cord allows the clear distinction between the typical butterfly appearance of the spinal cord gray matter and the surrounding hypointense white matter. Also of note, spinal roots can be clearly identified at this level. D, A subsequent scan more caudally shows the spinal cord in cross-section away from the spinal root entry zone.