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Two‐dimensional UTE overview imaging for dental application
Author(s) -
Stumpf Kilian,
Kaye Elena,
Paul Jan,
Wundrak Stefan,
Pauly John M.,
Rasche Volker
Publication year - 2020
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.28312
Subject(s) - pulse (music) , pulse sequence , signal (programming language) , excitation , materials science , sequence (biology) , scanner , biomedical engineering , computer science , optics , nuclear magnetic resonance , physics , medicine , chemistry , biochemistry , quantum mechanics , detector , programming language
Purpose To investigate the applicability of a 2D‐UTE half‐pulse sequence for dental overview imaging and the detection of signal from mineralized dental tissue and caries lesions with ultra‐short T 2 ∗ as an efficient alternative to 3D sequences. Methods A modified 2D‐UTE sequence using 240‐µs half‐pulses for excitation and a reduction of the coil tune delay from the manufacturer preset value allowed for the acquisition of in vivo dental images with a TE of 35 µs at 1.5T. The common occurrence of out‐of‐slice signal for half‐pulse sequences was avoided by applying a quadratic‐phase saturation pulse before each half‐RF excitation. A conventional 2D‐UTE sequence with a TE of 750 µs, using slice selection rephasing, was used for comparison. Results Quadratic phase saturation pulses adequately improve the slice profile of half‐pulse excitations for dental imaging with a surface coil. In vivo images and SNR measurements show a distinct increase in signal in ultrashort T 2 ∗ tissues for the proposed 2D‐UTE half‐pulse sequence compared with a 2D‐UTE sequence using conventional slice selection, leading to an improved detection of caries lesions. Conclusion The proposed pulse sequence enables the acquisition of in vivo images of a comprehensive overview of bone structures and teeth of a single side of the upper and lower jaw and signal detection from mineralized dental tissues in clinically acceptable scan times.