Localizing the excitation to reduce scan time using nonlinear gradient fields

Abstract

elatively low SAR, but they cannot excite local regions and therefore causes long scan times. Although small volumes can be excited using multi-dimensional excitation pulses, such pulses are long and/or have relatively high SAR. It is shown that, using gradient fields with nonlinear variation in space, excitation regions can be confined in three dimensions without increasing pulse duration and SAR. In this abstract we show that a 60% decrease in required phase-encoding steps is obtained while imaging the occipital lobe of the brain. Initial in-vivo results are presented.