Reduction in flow artifacts by using interleaved data acquisition in segmented balanced steady-state free precession...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Medical Imaging Techniques
• Image Artifact Reduction

Background:

• Balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging offers high contrast for cine cardiac imaging.
• Flow artifacts, caused by off-resonance and in-flow effects, are common in SSFP cardiac MR.
• Current artifact reduction methods like gradient readjustment are motion-sensitive and operator-dependent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an alternative MR imaging technique for reducing flow artifacts in cardiac SSFP imaging.
• To assess the efficacy of odd-even interleaved k-space data acquisition in segmented balanced SSFP.
• To compare artifact reduction and image quality with sequential data acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of odd-even interleaved k-space data acquisition in segmented balanced SSFP cardiac MR imaging.
• Visual comparison of flow artifacts (ventricle, ghosting) and myocardial border visualization.
• Comparison between sequential and odd-even interleaved k-space data acquisition methods.

Main Results:

• Odd-even interleaved acquisition significantly reduced dark flow artifacts in the left ventricle.
• Improved visualization of the myocardial border was achieved with the odd-even interleaved method.
• The odd-even interleaved technique demonstrated ease of implementation.

Conclusions:

• Odd-even interleaved k-space data acquisition is effective in reducing flow artifacts in cine segmented balanced SSFP cardiac MR.
• This technique enhances myocardial border visualization, crucial for accurate cardiac assessment.
• The study recommends applying this imaging technique to cine segmented balanced SSFP cardiac MR imaging.