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A diffusion‐based method for long‐ T 2 suppression in steady state sequences: Validation and application for 3D‐UTE imaging
Author(s) -
Soustelle Lucas,
Lamy Julien,
Rousseau François,
Armspach JeanPaul,
Loureiro de Sousa Paulo
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.27057
Subject(s) - weighting , signal (programming language) , nuclear magnetic resonance , imaging phantom , pulse sequence , diffusion , physics , pulse (music) , sequence (biology) , bloch equations , algorithm , steady state (chemistry) , computer science , chemistry , acoustics , optics , biochemistry , detector , thermodynamics , programming language
Purpose To introduce a novel method for long‐ T 2 signal physical suppression in steady‐state based on configuration states combination and modulation using diffusion weighting. Its efficiency in yielding a high contrast in short‐ T 2 structures using an ultrashort echo time acquisition module (Diff‐UTE) is compared to the adiabatically prepared Inversion‐Recovery‐UTE sequence (IR‐UTE). Theory and Methods Using a rectangular‐pulse prepared 3D‐UTE sequence, the possibility of long‐ T 2 component signal cancellation through diffusion effects is addressed, and the condition met for sets of sequence parameters. Simultaneously, the short‐ T 2 component signal is maximized using a Bloch equation‐based optimization process. The method is evaluated from simulations, and experiments are conducted on a phantom composed of short and long‐ T 2 components, as well as on an ex vivo mouse head. Results Within equal scan times, the proposed method allowed for an efficient long‐ T 2 signal suppression, and expectedly yielded a higher signal to noise ratio in short‐ T 2 structures compared to the IR‐UTE technique, although an intrinsic short‐ T 2 signal loss is expected through the preparation module. Conclusion The Diff‐UTE method represents an interesting alternative to the IR‐UTE technique. Diffusion weighting allowing for a long‐ T 2 suppression results in a less penalizing method to generate a high and selective contrast in short‐ T 2 components. Magn Reson Med 80:548–559, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.