Spectrally selective imaging with wideband balanced steady-state free precession MRI

Date
2016
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Source Title
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
Print ISSN
0740-3194
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John Wiley and Sons Inc.
Volume
75
Issue
3
Pages
1132 - 1141
Language
English
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Abstract

Purpose Unwanted, bright fat signals in balanced steady-state free precession sequences are commonly suppressed using spectral shaping. Here, a new spectral-shaping method is proposed to significantly improve the uniformity of stopband suppression without compromising the level of passband signals. Methods The proposed method combines binomial-pattern excitation pulses with a wideband balanced steady-state free precession sequence kernel. It thereby increases the frequency separation between the centers of pass and stopbands by π radians, enabling improved water-fat contrast. Simulations were performed to find the optimal flip angles and subpulse spacing for the binomial pulses that maximize contrast and signal efficiency. Results Comparisons with a conventional binomial balanced steady-state free precession sequence were performed in simulations as well as phantom and in vivo experiments at 1.5 T and 3 T. Enhanced fat suppression is demonstrated in vivo with an average improvement of 58% in blood-fat and 68% in muscle-fat contrast (P < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Conclusion The proposed binomial wideband balanced steady-state free precession method is a promising candidate for spectrally selective imaging with enhanced reliability against field inhomogeneities.

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