Shared k-space echo planar imaging with keyhole

Time-dependent phenomena are of great interest, and researchers have sought to shed light on these processes with MRI, particularly in vivo. In this work, a new hybrid technique based on EPI and using the concept of keyhole imaging is presented. By sharing peripheral k-space data between images and acquiring the keyhole more frequently, it is shown that the spatial resolution of the reconstructed images can be maintained. The method affords a higher temporal resolution and is more robust against susceptibility and chemical-shift artifacts than single-shot EPI. The method, termed shared k-space echo planar imaging with keyhole (shared EPIK), has been implemented on a standard clinical scanner. Technical details, simulation results, phantom images, in vivo images, and fMRI results are presented. These results indicate that the new method is robust and may be used for dynamic MRI applications. Magn Reson Med 45:109-117, 2001.