Reduced field-of-view MRI using outer volume suppression for spinal cord diffusion imaging
✍ Scribed by B.J. Wilm; J. Svensson; A. Henning; K.P. Pruessmann; P. Boesiger; S.S. Kollias
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2007
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 558 KB
- Volume
- 57
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0740-3194
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
A spin‐echo single‐shot echo‐planar imaging (SS‐EPI) technique with a reduced field of view (FOV) in the phase‐encoding direction is presented that simultaneously reduces susceptibility effects and motion artifacts in diffusion‐weighted (DW) imaging (DWI) of the spinal cord at a high field strength (3T). To minimize aliasing, an outer volume suppression (OVS) sequence was implemented. Effective fat suppression was achieved with the use of a slice‐selection gradient‐reversal technique. The OVS was optimized by numerical simulations with respect to T~1~ relaxation times and B~1~ variations. The optimized sequence was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. In simulations the optimized OVS showed suppression to <0.25% and ∼3% in an optimal and worst‐case scenario, respectively. In vitro measurements showed a mean residual signal of <0.95% ± 0.42 for all suppressed areas. In vivo acquisition with 0.9 × 1.05 mm^2^ in‐plane resolution resulted in artifact‐free images. The short imaging time of this technique makes it promising for clinical studies. Magn Reson Med 57:625–630, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.