Question: In MRI’s, what does pixel shift mean?

Answer: A pixel shift, or chemical shift is the signal intensity change in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that results from the differences in the resonant frequencies of moving protons. By observing differences in resonant frequencies of lipid and water, fatty elements within tissue can be confirmed with dedicated chemical shift MRI pulse sequences. Alternatively, the the shift on images obtained with standard MRI pulse sequences may corroborate the diagnosis of lesions with substantial fatty elements. Chemical shift can aid in the diagnosis of lipid-containing lesions of the brain (teratoma, lipoma, and dermoid) or the body (focal fat within the liver, angiomyolipoma and adrenal adenoma). In addition, chemical shift can be implemented to make visceral margins significantly more distinguised from the surrounding tissue.