Calcium on T2 is which signal intensity?

Calcium on T2 is which signal intensity?

• A. Bright
• B. Dark
• C. Isointense
• D. Very bright

Answer: (B)

On T2-weighted MRI, signal intensity reflects how long protons retain transverse magnetization, which is greatly influenced by water content. Substances with a lot of water (like edema or CSF) appear bright, while areas with little mobile water and strong susceptibility effects appear dark. Calcium deposits have essentially no mobile protons and create local magnetic field disturbances, causing very rapid transverse decay. This makes them appear dark (hypointense) on T2 images. They are not bright or iso-intense with surrounding tissue, and they don’t match the surrounding signal like a normal hydrated structure would.

On T2-weighted MRI, signal intensity reflects how long protons retain transverse magnetization, which is greatly influenced by water content. Substances with a lot of water (like edema or CSF) appear bright, while areas with little mobile water and strong susceptibility effects appear dark. Calcium deposits have essentially no mobile protons and create local magnetic field disturbances, causing very rapid transverse decay. This makes them appear dark (hypointense) on T2 images. They are not bright or iso-intense with surrounding tissue, and they don’t match the surrounding signal like a normal hydrated structure would.