3D GRASE PROPELLER: Improved image acquisition technique for arterial spin labeling perfusion imaging

✍ Scribed by Huan Tan; W. Scott Hoge; Craig A. Hamilton; Matthias Günther; Robert A. Kraft

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 370 KB
• Volume: 66
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0740-3194
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.22768

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Arterial spin labeling is a noninvasive technique that can quantitatively measure cerebral blood flow. While traditionally arterial spin labeling employs 2D echo planar imaging or spiral acquisition trajectories, single‐shot 3D gradient echo and spin echo (GRASE) is gaining popularity in arterial spin labeling due to inherent signal‐to‐noise ratio advantage and spatial coverage. However, a major limitation of 3D GRASE is through‐plane blurring caused by T~2~ decay. A novel technique combining 3D GRASE and a periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction trajectory (PROPELLER) is presented to minimize through‐plane blurring without sacrificing perfusion sensitivity or increasing total scan time. Full brain perfusion images were acquired at a 3 × 3 × 5 mm^3^ nominal voxel size with pulsed arterial spin labeling preparation sequence. Data from five healthy subjects was acquired on a GE 1.5T scanner in less than 4 minutes per subject. While showing good agreement in cerebral blood flow quantification with 3D gradient echo and spin echo, 3D GRASE PROPELLER demonstrated reduced through‐plane blurring, improved anatomical details, high repeatability and robustness against motion, making it suitable for routine clinical use. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.