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Maximization of contrast‐to‐noise ratio to distinguish diffusion and microcirculatory flow
Author(s) -
Maki Jeffrey H.,
Benveniste Helene,
MacFall James R.,
Johnson G. Allan
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.1880010105
Subject(s) - microcirculation , dephasing , diffusion , flow (mathematics) , physics , acoustics , biomedical engineering , nuclear magnetic resonance , mechanics , medicine , radiology , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Optimization of the contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) is described for microcirculation magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques based on flow‐compensated/flow‐dephased sequences, both with and without even‐echo rephasing. The authors present the most advantageous manner of applying flow‐dephased gradients, such that de‐phasing is maximal while diffusion losses are minimal. The theoretical considerations include phase, diffusion, echo time, and bandwidth in the determination of the optimal parameters for microcirculation imaging. Studies in phantoms consisting of stationary and flowing copper sul‐fate in Sephadex columns demonstrate the validity of the calculations. Optimized in vivo images of a rat stroke model demonstrate the potential of the flow‐compensated/flow‐dephased technique and the importance of optimizing CNR.