Sensitivity profiles from an array of coils for encoding and reconstruction in parallel (SPACE RIP)

A new parallel imaging technique was implemented which can result in reduced image acquisition times in MRI. MR data is acquired in parallel using an array of receiver coils and then reconstructed simultaneously with multiple processors. The method requires the initial estimation of the 2D sensitivity profile of each coil used in the receiver array. These sensitivity profiles are then used to partially encode the images of interest. A fraction of the total number of k-space lines is consequently acquired and used in a parallel reconstruction scheme, allowing for a substantial reduction in scanning and display times. This technique is in the family of parallel acquisition schemes such as simultaneous acquisition of spatial harmonics (SMASH) and sensitivity encoding (SENSE). It extends the use of the SMASH method to allow the placement of the receiver coil array around the object of interest, enabling imaging of any plane within the volume of interest. In addition, this technique permits the arbitrary choice of the set of k-space lines used in the reconstruction and lends itself to parallel reconstruction, hence allowing for real-time rendering. Simulated results with a 16-fold increase in temporal resolution are shown, as are experimental results with a 4-fold increase in temporal resolution. Magn Reson Med 44:301-308, 2000.