A Methodology for co‐registering abdominal MR images over multiple breath‐holds

Previous studies have demonstrated that the SNR of abdominal MR images can be increased by averaging images obtained in different breath‐hold acquisitions. In this note, the authors present a simple new methodology for ensuring that images acquired in multiple breath‐hold periods are accurately co‐registered. Within each breath‐hold, a quick coronal scout scan is followed by a longer axial scan. The scout is used to position the axial slices in a fixed position relative to the organ under examination. This MR technique can, in principle, be automated so as to add less than 1 s to the imaging time of the axial scan. The method can be used to increase SNR by signal averaging or to co‐register images acquired during, for example, uptake of contrast agents. SNR improvement with negligible blurring is demonstrated in liver images acquired by this method from healthy volunteers.