Rapid water and lipid imaging with T2 mapping using a radial IDEAL-GRASE technique

Area of Science:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Medical Physics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Field inhomogeneities complicate accurate water and fat separation in MRI.
• Iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least squares estimation (IDEAL) combined with gradient and spin-echo (GRASE) acquisition (IDEAL-GRASE) offers time-efficient lipid-water imaging with correction for field inhomogeneities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To combine the IDEAL-GRASE technique with radial data acquisition.
• To leverage radial sampling for improved motion robustness and T2 mapping capabilities.
• To demonstrate the utility of radial IDEAL-GRASE in various clinical applications.

Main Methods:

• Integration of IDEAL-GRASE with a radial data acquisition strategy.
• Utilizing radial trajectories for enhanced motion artifact reduction compared to Cartesian sampling.
• Development of a method capable of generating water, fat, and high-resolution T2-weighted images.

Main Results:

• The radial IDEAL-GRASE technique successfully generates water and fat images with correction for field inhomogeneities.
• Radial sampling demonstrated improved robustness to motion artifacts.
• The technique allows for the generation of high-resolution T2 maps alongside water and fat images.
• Successful demonstration in phantoms and in vivo across abdominal, pelvic, and cardiac imaging.

Conclusions:

• Radial IDEAL-GRASE is a robust and versatile technique for simultaneous water-fat separation and T2 mapping.
• This method offers significant advantages in motion-sensitive MRI applications.
• The technique shows promise for improved diagnostic accuracy in various clinical scenarios.